Action Lab Entertainment 2015
Written by Dewayne Feenstra
Illustrated by Axur Eneas
Coloured by Juan Pablo Riebeling
Do you read all ages books? If not why? What could you possibly have against a story that is for everyone? In today’s world we see that all ages is literally for all ages there are nuggets that kids won’t understand that the adult will and appreciate and on a whole the stories tend to rival anything for adults only. Action Lab does that beautifully and here is a great example of why you should be reading their all ages books.
Father and daughter are out on patrol and come across a crime in progress. It’s cute really as this is a learning/teaching opportunity for them and a great introduction for us to get to know them. There really is great teenage action happening here as Aero-Girl is only fifteen years old and as she puts it more than ready to go solo so she’s itching to not only grow up too fast, as kids do these days, but determined to prove she’s worthy of being her own hero. What could possibly go wrong with a fifteen year old girl anxious to prove herself, overconfident and not quite mature enough to see why her parents aren’t seeing this her way?
I do like these villains we’re introduced to they are fun and while the artwork here reminds of something from Kim Possible, with a little odd shaped heads from Arnold thrown in, it really works for the all ages theme. It’s got a charm to it that reminds you when comic books were fun and somewhat lighthearted and the good guy saved the day and yet it’s still modern and very much what kids today watch on television, I think.
I love that this is a family affair and while mom doesn’t fight crime she’s still involved and wants her daughter to have a normal life complete with friends to hang out with instead of just going out fighting crime. We also get a great deal of background information on Battle Jack, her dad Jack, giving us a sense of the family history she has to live up to. I also really got a sense of Stargirl and Stripesy here in the relationship they have and Dewayne really gets you to like these characters and become invested in them.
The end of this issue took me by surprise and i’m now suddenly more curious than ever to see just what happened and if what I think happened actually did.
This is fun, cute and charming full of modern day storytelling with the seriousness and lightheartedness needed for a fifteen year old girl coming of age.
Action Lab has found a way to blend that adult sensibility with the all ages genre and create something unique and needed in today’s world.