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Review: Adventure Time #1

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Cartoon Network’s tv show, Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, has a lot of appeal that stems from its frenetically fast paced A.D.D. mixture of everything awesome. A little of this frantic energy is lost in the new comic book version of Adventure Time, which is bereft of an extremely important part of what makes it so fast paced: the sound. To make up for that, however, is the art work of Shelley Paroline and Braden Lamb. Luckily for Finn and Jake, Paroline and Lamb provide 30 pages worth of great art, the first page of which is dedicated completely to showcasing THE MOST EPIC FIST BUMP OF ALL TIME! Sure it’s not horror per say, but kiss my grits. Read on for the skinny…

adventure1
WRITTEN BY: Ryan North
ART BY: Shelley Paroline and Braden Lamb
PUBLISHER: KaBOOM
RELEASE: Out now!

The first 9 panels of the comic, in addition to a sweet fist bump, also introduce the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, the Ice King, Princess Bubblegum and a lot of great parts of Adventure Time. Beware, if you’re not looking extra hard (or read it on a tablet) you will probably miss a lot of hidden gems, like this quote, “There can never be enough fist bumps in any story, fiction or non-fiction.” The artwork is definitely highlighted in this comic, but the dialogue, aka Finn and Jake’s rockin’ battle burns, get thrown out at a fast pace thanks to the writer, Ryan North.

North reintroduces Jake and Finn’s most evil enemy, the Lich. Pendelton Ward, the shows creator, lists George Romero as one of his top influences, and even goes so far to say, “I’m a big post-apocalyptic movie fan and zombie fan. . . and we’re going to make more zombie episodes…” (Newsarama). So it’s great that a character like the Lich is making his big reappearance outside of the TV show, as well as lending me some credibility for reviewing this on bloody-disgusting.

As far as the plot of the comic goes, Jake and Finn don’t easily defeat the Lich, even in Jake Suit form. Instead, they find themselves sucked into a land that resides in an infinite bag of holding. This is a great plot twist that adds a new dimension to the mythos of the show. I feel that this allows both the show and the comic to maintain a consistency that might not have occured had the comic taken place in Ooo itself. It also lets North introduce some new stuff that hasn’t been seen in the show before. But dont worry, Princess Bubblegum is in the bag as well, which rounds out the set up of what will hopefully be a great comic book series.

While comic can convey a great sense of cinema (see Cole Haddon’s The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde), one thing I miss in the comic version of Adventure Time is the sound. Adventure Time has a really great cast of voices that do a lot to bring the show to life. John DiMaggio, Futurama’s Bender, and appearances by actors like Mark Hammil, really add an extra dimension, especially the Lumpy Space Princes who is voiced by Pendelton Ward himself. I think the only remedy for this must be to watch more Adventure Time, because I’m definitely not going to stop reading the comic.

4 out of 5 skulls

Comics

‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]

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From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.

You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.

In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.

“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”

The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.

Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”

Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*

Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”

Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!

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