Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by Sholly Fisch
Illustrated by Igor Lima
Coloured by Pete Pantazis
Lettered by Tom Napolitano
Bullied at school and finding escape in cartoons and his homemade comics, Joey’s just a lonely kid who could use a friend. But Joey gets way more than he bargained for when his favourite hero bursts out of his tv and into the real world! How did Mighty Mouse get here--and how can he find a way home?
When I was a wee laddie my mom used to take me with her to the bowling alley during her league games. I was left in the kiddie room kind of thing and they’d show Mighty Mouse cartoons and that is my earliest memory of the character. So he’s much beloved by me and over the years i’ve thrilled to his infrequent comic adventures. So when this was announced to be coming out I had no idea what direction it would take. Also let’s face it Sholly is doing the Scooby Doo Team-Up book so I was kind of thinking this would go that route, the cartoon route. Lo and behold the surprise when he and Igor took the character out of the cartoon and brought him into “our” world. This my friends is why you never judge something but it’s title.
So now that Mighty Mouse is in our world the two, he and Joey, have to go through the initial shock and dismay of what’s happened. I am so incredibly impressed with the writing and the characterisation here. I mean who would’ve expected something along these lines in a Mighty Mouse comic? Joey is such a bright eleven year old and while he’s used to dealing with things in his imagination this definitely goes a bit further than that! Still that they hold it together this well is both a testament to the resiliency of youth and excellent storytelling.
Then there’s what Igor and Pete do with the interiors here. Wow simply amazing stuff I mean the realism in how Joey and “our” world is portrayed versus the pure animated style that we see Mighty Mouse in shouldn’t blend but do. Honestly it should feel like a colourform attached to a photograph but it completely and utterly works in this seamlessly natural way. Plus the use of page layouts through their angles, perspective and of course those wonderfully utilised backgrounds make this pop like nobody’s business.
So the secret’s out as Mighty Mouse goes to stop a crime and Joey has to intervene as the rules of Mighty’s cartoon universe don’t apply to ours! I cannot get over the sheer sophistication and fun that Sholly is bringing to this story. I really shouldn’t be considering how much I enjoy his other work but the blending of these worlds shouldn’t work like it does. Plus the whole underlying message behind Joey and the results of bullying should be applauded because it’s a touchy subject and it’s all prevalent in today’s society.
Dynamite is killing it with the books they’ve been putting out lately and more so than usual. If you haven’t been paying attention you really need to be because this could be an award winner for next year.