Aw Yeah Comics! #1, by Marc Alan Fishman – Snarky Synopsis | @MDWorld
June 2, 2013 Marc Fishman 0 Comments
Art and Stories by Art Baltazar, Franco, Scoot Mcmahon, Chris ‘ZOD’ Smits, Denver Brubaker, Alejandro Rosado, Matt Brazee, Marc Hammond, Mel Dale, and Jamie Cosley
Fans of the long running ‘Tiny Titans’ series of DC fear no more! Aw Yeah Comics #1 delivers most of everything you loved about Johnny DC’s favorite series (long after Johnny DC grew up, started wearing horn-rimmed glasses, moved to Seattle, and started an alt-rock/funk/jazz/folk combo). Just don’t count on any familiar faces. Art Baltazar and Franco bring their darn-near trademarked combination of beautifully simple and bright art with clever-but-infinitely-
Perhaps it’s too loaded a question, but let me make it simple: for kids? Aw Yeah Comics is amazing. For their parents? It’s amazing, but not as tongue-in-cheek as TT might have been. Without all the added knowledge we inherently projected onto Art and Franco’s wee-sidekicks, we are left with the raw product. After ending things amicably on Tiny Titans (and then the cut-way-short Superman Family Adventures), Baltazar and Franco opened up their own comic shop in their hometown of Skokie, Illinois. In addition to continuing to work on various comic properties, they launched a Kickstarter to fund the printing and production of their own brand of kid-friendly adventures. After being funded 3 times over their initial goal, it was clear that the public at large had not had enough rip-roaring fun and fancy. Issue 1 contains no pretense, no backstory, nor any heartfelt setups. What we get is simply more of what got Art and Franco to the party in the first place.
Issue 1 is anchored by Baltazar and Franco’s ‘Action Cat and Adventure Bug’. The ‘mascots’ of both the fictional and real-world Aw Yeah Comics, Cat and Bug enjoy a leisurely early lunch—before ‘Evil Cat’ launches his nefarious plan. That plan? Attack Skokie with a giant sentient pancake. Not to spoil anything here, but the whole thing ends up with a dance party. If you don’t smile at that? Go find another review. We’re done here. Beyond the lengthy first story, the remainder of the book (the other half) is peppered with quick jokes and pin-ups all by various other Aw Yeah talent.
I would do a disservice to my (meager) fan base if I didn’t deliver a few hard truths about the book. Without Robin, Beast Boy, or Darkseid as a gym teacher? The book doesn’t have quite the same smirk-factor as Art and Franco’s previous work. Without any real backstory, the cast of Aw Yeah are all flat as the artwork. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing mind you; the intended audience of the book will love it either way. The writing (especially in Art and Franco’s contributions) still have a few glowing winks and nods to the bigger folk reading the book. I freely lol’ed when the sentient pancake opted to dance, and Evil Cat meagerly moans “…really?”. And when the elusive Goojie-Na-Na appears? Even without knowing its secret origin (divulged in a back-of-issue interview), I could not contain the smile besmirching my normally hairy grimace.
The back half of the book hits and misses; a commonality to most anthologies. The jokes are quick, and devoid of any sub-text. Franco and Baltazar’s years upon years of practice obviously shows why they are where they are. That being said, those others who contribute do hit a few high notes. The art of Scoot Mcmahon (and no, that ain’t a typo, kiddos) shines. Shopkeep Marc Hammond’s single page delivers a powerful message, albeit a quick one. Other stories, like Chris Smits’ Ghost Bug yarn doesn’t quite jive with me. No doubt the kids will relish the ‘Goofus without Gallant’ treatment, but sadly my 16 month old is still more fascinated with giving me a high five then reading. One other slight I’d toss in? Over on the Aw Yeah Comics facebook page, there was a “line up” of the entire Aw Yeah universe. This initial book could have benefited from its inclusion. Even without anything more than a name, knowing all the characters that will bound across the pages can be a comfort to a fresh reader.
Artistically, the book is consistent. Bright, bolt palates with carefully placed gradients and transparencies add the teeniest bit of modern flare to an otherwise old-school production. Art and Franco are obviously on their game. Their story is peppered with plenty of panache. From Franco’s cameo to the rare-but-potent splash (or in this case perhaps a splorsh?) page… the first half of Aw Yeah #1 helps kids, and kids-at-heart enjoy comics that are built to just be fun and funny. While the later half is a bit shaky in the knees, it’s no less fun. Suffice to say: it’s hard to find anything wrong with a book that is both clear in its intentions, and put together by stalwarts of the industry.
Aw Yeah Comics #1 is a good opening salvo in what will be at very least 12 issues and a few annuals to begin with. Art Baltazar and Franco are amidst creating themselves an empire founded in the fun of comics. In a world where snarky fans (me included) continue to take every opportunity to jab, poke, and set fire to a continually darkening universe of sequential fiction… where heroes are getting darker, death looms over everyone, and the threat of an epic-crossover occurs every 6 months like clockwork… it’s nice to know that there is at least one oasis away from all the unnecessary evils that lurk in our comic community. Aw Yeah, guys, aw yeah.