Herobear and the Kid #3
Story:
Art:

Written and Art by Mike Kunkel

Published by Astonish Comics
Price: $3.50

My Verdict: Nice.

There's a huge problem these days in comics. Joe Quesada knows it, and he doesn't have the solution. It's the kids, you see? Kids are the problem. In the good old days of comics, you nabbed a kid as a fan of the medium when they were a small fry and you had them for life. Hell, they got me that way. No amount of rehab can help me, I know countless others like me. How do you make a book that's good for kids? Hell, if you can figure that out, then figure out how to make a comic that will appeal to both kids and and grown-up kids. Give up?

Fine. Because Mike Kunkel's already got you beat. A former Disney animator, he's switched to comics because he's got a story to tell, and it's a damn fine one. Reader's Digest: Tyler's a kid whose grandfather has just passed away. His inheritance consists of a broken pocketwatch and a stuffed polar bear. But the trick is that the stuffed bear can change into a 10-foot tall freaking super hero named "Herobear." And the pocketwatch--well, we're not sure what all the pocketwatch can do yet, but let's just say for a broken timepiece it sure is handy.

When we kickoff this issue, Tyler and Herobear have followed the pocketwatch to the scene of a wind-up robot named X-5, wreaking havoc. Over the course of the issue, Tyler learns a bit about what it means to be a friend and to be a hero.

Last part sound cheeseball? Don't worry, it's really not. It's striking that dual appeal pose, remember? Look on the back cover: the tagline for the series is "Remember your childhood. And pass it on." So this is all given a really nice fairytale/young fantasy bent--and it works. Part of the reason it works is the ongoing story, of which we get a sliver of the bigger picture each issue--the other reason is Kunkel's art. It's black and white, except for Herobear's cape, which is red. And it's also got a pseudo-sketchy, unfinished yet polished style. It's hard to describe. Just check out the sample art and get some more coffee for me. And speaking of style, even if you didn't know Kunkel's background, you'd guess he was an animator. Every panel has got interesting facial expressions by all the characters involved, not to mention excellent poses and action.

The introduction of a strange guy with a monocle and a mostly blank letter addressed to Tyler just adds to the anticipation for the fourth issue. As stated before, Kunkel's figured out how to make a book that kids of all ages will love. And the Big Two should take notes.