COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews Adventure Time Summer Special 2013

Created by: Pendleton Ward

“Desert Treasurer” Written and illustrated: Noelle Stevenson

“The Sucker Seeker” Written and illustrated: Ryan Pequin

“Heart” Written and illustrated: Emily Partridge

“A Penny burned” Written and illustrated: Frank Gibson & Becky Dreistadt

Publisher: Kaboom

Looking for an all ages comic book to take you on an Adventure? Look no further; Adventure Time Summer Special has you covered! Kaboom, known for releasing quality kids comics, does not disappoint and gives us four Adventures wrapped into one beautiful comic.

The first story up is Desert Treasure. The art is fantastic, yet simple, without a ton going on to distract you from the story. Finn and Jake are looking for a “secret tunnel”. On the way they meet a troll guarding the exit that informs them they can’t get inside without a toll, so they decide to make money by selling lemonade, but since they are in the desert, that plans falls apart as there aren’t any lemons. They use a cactus blossom and sugar; of course Finn carries around sugar! Everyone thinks it’s gross until the Ice King freezes it and makes ice pops! They decide to not even bother with the treasure now, as they are “rich”. What a delightful little story.

In The Sucker Seeker, Finn finds a bird in his underwear drawer and they decide to let him stay as a roommate. They notice that the bird is not doing his share of the housework, takes a bath in the teapot and other gross bird things. Finn tells him it’s time to leave and the bird turns into a hideous creature known as the Sucker Seeker. Jake says they “Weasel their way into people’s homes, eat their food, and have loud parties without cleaning up after.” I laughed so hard at that part. The Sucker Seeker starts to eat Jake and they find out his weakness is “Democracy” so they have to vote on whether they want the Sucker Seeker to move out. The writers keep it kid friendly, but balance that with jokes for the adults to laugh at.

Heart is the next story, and it focuses on Marceline the Vampire Queen and a disheveled Princess Bubblegum. Marceline notices Bubblegum wandering around, and follows her to an opening with a tree that has crystal hearts hanging from it. Princess Bubblegum tries to cut the branch, but her cutters shatter into a million pieces. She decides to stay the night, and when she is sleeping Marceline comes out and bites the branch and gives it to the sleeping Princess who then cuddles with it. This story has a lot of “heart” and was perfectly told without any dialogue.

The last story is my favorite. It focuses on Fiona and Cake, which is the female version of Finn and Jake. Fiona and Cake do extra work to earn enough money to attend the Heroes & Adventurers Caucus. The money starts burning a hole in Fiona’s pocket and she hurries to get her tickets, however she encounters a sign, which says “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Girls”. Apparently the guys want to feel safe without the judgmental eyes of women. Fiona and Cake don’t give up though! Fiona dresses up like Finn with a blue shirt that says “boy”. They meet a fellow hero, who kisses the feet of his favorite Barbarian as their reward for a life that was well lived. Infuriated, Fiona kicks the lazy Barbarian’s butt. My favorite line is when Fiona says, “A life of Adventure is it’s own reward”. I really loved that; adventure is what makes life fun and exciting!

It is so important to read to your kids, and comics are a good gateway into that. Kids that read comics at a younger age are more likely to read when they are older. Adventure Time is a fantastic choice to introduce your child to comics, I read them with my 8 year old all the time and she loves them.

Adventure Time is not just for kids though. It has elements of science fiction, weird science, chemistry and all kinds of Adventures. When I suggest Adventure Time comics to people they love it and can’t believe they haven’t been reading it all along!

5 out of 5 Nerds