King/Dynamite Entertainment 2015
Written by Paul Tobin
Illustrated by Sandy Jarrell & Tadd Galusha
Coloured by Luigi Anderson
This has been my favorite King book that Dynamite has put out and I’m more than a little sad that this is the final issue of this series. So hopefully Paul and company will be back in the very near future with more stories about Jungle Jim and his adventures old and new. After all he’s found himself one heck of a supporting cast here and everything about this has been so delightful that it really would be a shame for it to end. Plus he likes to be naked and we need to see more butt shots and well you know what else too!
So the night before they are to save Daris Devrille they have a party and the alcohol flows and merriment ensues. That Jim walks around talking about this is as much for Lille as it is for saving her brother was kind of sweet and it really went a long way to instill how much is at stake for them all should they fail. Jim’s a bit of a funny man and his ways well they seem a bit addled in the head but they get things done the right way. I’m thoroughly entranced by this man and the characterization of him Paul’s brought us.
As the Rebels are ready to attack and the guards on the inside prepare for it neither side is really prepared for what Jim has in store. When the action starts it’s because of Jim and what he’s doing and I haven’t laughed this hard from reading a comic in a very long time. I’m still laughing as i’m writing because it’s so silly and funny and just that expertly written by Paul and then by the interior artwork. Oh my god this is too funny I mean c’mon you have to read this I promise you this is something never experienced before and will wholeheartedly love and enjoy from start to finish. It really is brilliant.
The interiors are simple and yet majestic and the use of pages, panels and the local fauna being used throughout as well as the animals Jim turns himself into it all has this really magical quality that just captures you in its grasp. There’s actually a lot more detail in this one that we’ve experienced and we see Jim as more of this dashing ne’er do well with a heart of gold and face to swoon over like never before. Plus I have to admit when we see on the page how the tree grows and the leaves fall it doesn’t get better than this.
This really is one of if not the best introduction to a character I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. It’s got a seriousness to it with Ming and the rescue mission of Lille’s brother this is all balanced with the kind of humor you never see anymore, because it’s not toilet humor per se it’s kind what I think of more as British humor it’s edgy, smart and makes you think. Add to the mix all these wonderful supporting characters, some of whom we met in Flash Gordon and you’ve really gone and made this a solid yet separate part of the Universe. All around I think this has been one of Dynamite’s best offerings.