Alric the Wild and the Wrath of Sticky Beard! (NY Comic Con exclusive)
Geeks of Doom (NY Comic Con)
Keeping every single promise the front cover makes — and then some — this Comic Con Exclusive issue is probably the best of the little clutch of titles entrusted to me by Our Lords And Masters, The Geeks of Doom. This all-ages adventure stars a perpetually clueless wild-child by the name of Alric, who has set out to become the world’s greatest hero (and is destined to eventually wear the crown of Eireann upon a troubled etc., etc…). He’s one part Hercules, one part George of the Jungle, one part Conan, and I’m even willing to bet there’s some Elric the Albino emulation going on in the name, but that’s all so far. What’s fun about the book is that every single one of those comparisons is entirely intentional. — OH! And also throw in a dash of Princess Mononoke… he was raised by a two-headed god-wolf.
Anyway… the book is just plain fun! Creators Miguel Guerra and Suzy Dias have infused just the right mix mythic heroism and ironic comedy to make the most out of every page. My only minor complaint would be that sometimes Alric’s ditziness can be daunting even for the reader, but those “Woops! He did the wrong thing again” jokes are outnumbered by other, much cleverer gags scattered throughout the book. (His “Moms’s” one liners are always worth a laugh.) The art by Guerra is light and cartoony, and closely resembles the East/West mixed style of Avatar: The Last Airbender, with a little bit of Astro Boy shining through on occasion. Just based on this introductory issue, I would definitely recommend people try to track down their first graphic novel, Alric the Wild and the Flushing of Atlantis! — I know I will. I give it a B+.
