My last pick for Halloween ComicFest 2015 is Skylanders. This free mini comic is based on the video game of the same name. Skylanders came out in 2011 and was huge around its first holiday season on store shelves. The game has interactive action figures so that players can have fun even with the power is out. I remember when the first Skylanders game (Spyro's Adventure) came out as people were scooping these toys up by the dozens and selling them on eBay for crazy prices. While I am not sure how popular this game series is now, Skylanders is the grandfather of interactive Near Field Communication (NFC) games, greatly inspiring Disney's Infinity line.
There are 3 stories in this comic. The first has an evil chile pepper named Chef Pepper Jack (LOVE THE NAME!!!), terrorizing a village of teddy bears. He's challenged by a forgotten Skylander element called Knight Light and it's a battle between good and evil that was visually thrilling and not very hard to follow for someone not familiar with the franchise.
In the second adventure, a five-legged frog named Doctor Krankcase looks to interrupt the Annual Mabu Meander. It's a sort of junior marathon that the villain has found a loophole allowing him to participate and probably win by cheating. That is unless the hero centaur Knight Mare has anything to say about it. Again, another fun tale that isn't hard for the uninitiated to enjoy.
Lastly, two foes find themselves drugged and placed in a deadly trap. The only way out is for these two enemies to join forces if they want to live to fight another day. I really enjoy those type of stories that force mortal enemies to team-up. Usually, these adventures end with a double cross, so it's refreshing to see real teamwork for once.
That story ends with a cliffhanger. Normally, those type of adventures is a pet peeve of mine. But in this case, the story ends in such a way that if you don't go on to purchase the companion piece to this caper that you don't miss anything. But with 3 great stories, I have a feeling that this freebie will encourage some young readers to want to know what happens next.
Skylanders isn't my cup of tea. I don't see myself rushing out to buy a starter kit for the video game tomorrow. But if I had the chance to read another free comic at next year's Halloween ComicFest, I wouldn't turn it down.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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