Peng! Action Sports Adventures (Family Comic Friday!)

If you thought that the world of extreme sports couldn't get anymore wilder- think again! Welcome to the All-World School of Sportmanship where the title for the greatest advanced kickball champion is on the line! 

Peng! Action Sports Adventures
Written and Illustrated by Corey Lewis
Published by Oni Press
Pages: 136
Retail: $14.99

PENG! is… the sound a rubber ball makes when it is kicked!
PENG! is… a brand new kind of Sports Adventure comic!
PENG! is... a GAME CHANGER! 

The main story of Peng! was originally published as a giant-sized one-shot in 2005. Set in the Sharknife universe, it is the story of Sharknife's brother Rocky Hallelujah and his rookie kickball team, the Foot Knux. Can they fight their way up the ranks to become the ultimate advanced kickball champs as these newbies take on more seasoned teams?

Peng! is a Manga style story that blends 70s kung-fu movies with extreme sports and a little bit of Blade Runner style high-tech. The rose and black ink style is visually stunning. But sometimes, I felt that the dialogue was too contrived. As this book is a spin-off of the Sharknife series, there's a lot of inside references that will not make sense to one whose not read that sister publication. One element that was great were the splash pages that explains the rules of advanced kickball, how to proper watch the game and so forth. It made for Peng! to become that much more immersive for readers.

Along with the main story, there's two all-new adventures starring members of the Foot Knux team. 'Stall' shows the players practicing for another tournament in a round of hackey sack that is literally gravity defying. The third tale shows us just how far break-dancing has come in 40 years as one student of the All-World School of Sportsmanship seeks to not just become a master of the art form, but a legend as well!

The art of those stories were just as good as the first tale. But you can really see the level of improvement Corey Smith has made with his storytelling in those newer works. The dialogue was much more polished and things didn't seem so confusing. There was a zen-like quality to those new stories for sure!
An interesting collection of stories. Corey Smith takes a trio of beloved games and retools them for the 21st century and beyond! A must for Sharknife fans and those who love Manga. Peng! Action Sports Adventures is recommended for readers in grades 4-6. The level of action might be a little confusing for younger readers, especially in the opening story. There is one mild swear as well in the break-dancing story. But with exception of a couple of jokes about puke and a player who likes to bounce kickballs off of their backside, this is a book that parents should appreciate!

Take a look at a small preview of the hackey sack story 'Stall' below...

Peng! Action Sports Adventures will debut in print and digital formats on July 28th, 2020!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.