This Free Comic Book Day be sure to peruse these all-age crowd pleasers in the KaBOOM! bundle. They are funny, occasionally multiethnic and/or feminist, and positive.
Adventure Time
Created by Pendleton Ward, Written and Illustrated by James the Stanton
“Sphagnum Shmagnum”
Finn is feeling jaded. Jake takes him on an outing to show him there’s plenty that he’s never seen and they explore his old stomping grounds. The story turns hilariously bittersweet as Jake ruminates about lost love, then distracts himself by jumping around in a bog. Need I say more? ⅘ Broken Hearts
The Amazing World of Gumball
Created by Ben Bocquelet, Written by Frank Gibson, Illustrated by Tyson Hesse
“The Pants”
This is a series from BOOM! Studios that will be starting in June of this year but we’re lucky enough to get a peek at what’s to come in this bundle. The artwork is like a loud mixed media collage and the story is all about pants and the Highly Respected Members of Society that wear them. It’s lovely. ⅘ Pairs of Pants
Garfield
Created by Jim Davis, Written by Mark Evanier, Art by Genevieve FT, Letters by Steve Wands
The illustrations are fresh: Angular where it used to be rounded. Curvy where it used to stand at attention. It has a vintage 1960’s advertisement look. The old Garfield strips have their own appeal but sometimes you need a goddamn breath of fresh air. This is an improvement. ⅗ Odies
Herobear and The Kid: Saving Time
Created, Written, and Illustrated by Mike Kunkel
A departure from the blast of color from the other titles, Herobear and The Kid has a pencil drawn, black and white look. The story toys with the concept of time in a cheerful, non-nihilistic way and even hints at the origin of Santa Claus. ⅗ Bear Paw Prints
Peanuts
Classic Peanuts strip by Charles M. Shulz, Colors by Justin Thompson & Art Roche
New Peanuts strip Story and Pencils by Vicki Scott, Inks by Paige Braddock, Colors by Lisa Moore, Letters by Alexis E. Fajardo
BOOM! still publishes Peanuts Comic Books. Some are from the syndicated strip and others are from new authors working with the series. This is exactly that: a mix of old and new. It’s great to see so many ladies in the credits. ⅗ Great Pumpkins
Regular Show
Created by JG Quintel, Written and Illustrated by Jay Wyatt
“D-20 Disaster”
This artwork is surprisingly textured. Rather than splashy, bright colors the shades are muted and have a grainy look. Overall, it was more stylized than I expected. But it just as funny as I anticipated (pretty dang funny). Mordecai and Rigby use a magic dice to wish themselves awesomeness which leads to an inevitable meltdown. ⅘ Dice Pips
Steven Universe
Created and Written by Rebecca Sugar, Pencils by Lamar Abrams, Inks by Danny Hines, Colored and Lettered by Jeremy Sorese
This is a new series debut spawned by the animated series of the same name on Cartoon Network. Steven hangs out with three savvy, efficient superheroines and lives vicariously through their adventures and through his comic books… Which sounds depressing. But it isn’t! He is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. ⅗ Superheroines
Uncle Grandpa
Created by Peter Browngardt, Written and Illustrated by Zac Gorman
These two pages made me smile for thirty minutes straight. There is nothing on this planet cooler than a piece of pepperoni pizza skateboarding up a volcano with sunglasses on. The only exception is a pizza slice wearing a fedora while he plays the sax in a jazz club, with sunglasses on. Or maybe, maybe, pizza riding a pterodactyl with sunglasses on. Looking forward to this one. ⅘ Pepperonis