RUGRATS #1
Written by Box Brown
Illustrated by Lisa DuBois
Colors by Eleonora Bruni
Letters by Jim Campbell
Published by KaBOOM!
Rugrats was a phenomenon in the 1990s. It was a staple of many a people’s childhoods, and is one of the reasons Nickelodeon became a household name. And, back in 1991, my seven-year-old self was all wrapped up in it. So, to say I was excited to see they were launching a new Rugrats comic book would be an understatement.
Looking at the front cover, all the memories started to come back. Then, I opened up the issue, and they were gone. I know it is more than common to rework how animated characters look when transitioning from a cartoon to a comic book, but I think they may have overdone it here. On the cover, they all look normal. Inside, they don’t. The most noticeable change is with Tommy. He is honestly unrecognizable. It is no lie to say that the comic book version looks more like Michael Chiklis than Tommy Pickles. Another disappoint is with Angelica. The cover is the only place she makes the comic book.
The first jarring thing in the story was Phil and Lil’s mom talking about the battery life on her smart phone. She’d apparently traded in her trademark Walkman for a phone. Which makes sense. I mean, it’s 2017, not 1991, but the statement was thrown in so unnaturally. Just to make the point that she’d changed. And that was her whole bit in the issue.
And, the story really seemed to revolve more around the parents and their gadgets than the kids. Which, I get it. The original Rugrats fans, well, we’re all in our 30s. Probably have kids in tow. We’d relate to the parents way more than the babies. But, if that’s who the target audience is, then why publish it under KaBOOM!, the imprint for children’s comics instead of just BOOM?
All that being said, I can’t rate it too harshly because it did accomplish the main job (in my opinion) of any comic. It was entertaining.
Illustrated by Lisa DuBois
Colors by Eleonora Bruni
Letters by Jim Campbell
Published by KaBOOM!
Rugrats was a phenomenon in the 1990s. It was a staple of many a people’s childhoods, and is one of the reasons Nickelodeon became a household name. And, back in 1991, my seven-year-old self was all wrapped up in it. So, to say I was excited to see they were launching a new Rugrats comic book would be an understatement.
Looking at the front cover, all the memories started to come back. Then, I opened up the issue, and they were gone. I know it is more than common to rework how animated characters look when transitioning from a cartoon to a comic book, but I think they may have overdone it here. On the cover, they all look normal. Inside, they don’t. The most noticeable change is with Tommy. He is honestly unrecognizable. It is no lie to say that the comic book version looks more like Michael Chiklis than Tommy Pickles. Another disappoint is with Angelica. The cover is the only place she makes the comic book.
The first jarring thing in the story was Phil and Lil’s mom talking about the battery life on her smart phone. She’d apparently traded in her trademark Walkman for a phone. Which makes sense. I mean, it’s 2017, not 1991, but the statement was thrown in so unnaturally. Just to make the point that she’d changed. And that was her whole bit in the issue.
And, the story really seemed to revolve more around the parents and their gadgets than the kids. Which, I get it. The original Rugrats fans, well, we’re all in our 30s. Probably have kids in tow. We’d relate to the parents way more than the babies. But, if that’s who the target audience is, then why publish it under KaBOOM!, the imprint for children’s comics instead of just BOOM?
All that being said, I can’t rate it too harshly because it did accomplish the main job (in my opinion) of any comic. It was entertaining.
A Look Inside
