BIG BANG ADVENTURES #16
Publisher: Big Bang Comics
Creators: Gary Carlson, Chris Ecker, Jonathan DHenry, and Francisco Menor
Price: $4.95 (available at IndyPlanet.com)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Website: BigBangComics.com
In “Thunder Girl meets The Thunder Guys”, when three high school jocks accidentally gain the powers of Thunder Girl, instead of using their new abilities for good, the three jocks run amuck in town, trying to decide which one gets to be the World’s Strongest Girl’s boyfriend. And in the second tale, after sorting out that mess, Molly Wilson uses her powers to stop the diabolical River Rat Gang, but things really get out of control when she meets a magical cat in an alley and must face “The Curse of the Thunder Kitten!” Finally, Not-So-Secret Origins presents the Knight Watchman in “Birth of the Greatest Hero.” All this plus a gallery of Thunder Girl pinups covering her entire career.
Issue #16’s lead story returns us to classic Big Bang flavor by focusing on an Archie Comics-like tale of their titular heroine, THUNDER GIRL. Featuring art to match by Jonathan DHenry, this tale focuses on Silver Age-style scientific silliness as a lab accident imbues three High School meatheads with powers to match Thunder Girl herself! Naturally, the first thing the three think to do is try to out-Thunder Girl Thunder Girl by proving who would be the best boyfriend for her! Henry’s art is a joy, and I never get tired of seeing his style. He’s perfect for these kinds of Silver Age tales, and I hope to keep seeing more.
In the second tale, we find out what happens to our heroine when she’s holding a cat while saying her magic word! This right here very much has a classic Silver Age Red Kryptonite Superman feel to it, and it’s a riot. Menor’s art, like DHenry before him, captures the flavor of this kind of tale perfectly.
Spearheading it all, Gary Carlson continues to demonstrate why he’s the mast of this sort of thing. Sometimes those old stories can be a bit rough to read, but Carlson balances that kind of storytelling with just enough modern flavor to not make it a chore. The whole thing is a smooth and enjoyable project.
Closing out the issue is a gallery of Thunder Girl pin-ups featuring art by Bill Fugate, Jerrod Hill, Mark Lewis, Luis Lorante, the great Alex Ross, Tom Siacca, Andrew Sheppard, Shawn Van Breissen, and Big Bang veteran Ron C. Williams.
Pepe Diaz and Jose Aguilera handle art duties on the not-so-secret origin of the Knight Watchman.
Overall, Big Bang continues to put out real quality books. Whether modern tales about Megaton, the Whiz Kids, or the Round Table, or flashback stories featuring Thunder Girl, or the Knights of Justice, you’re always guaranteed a quality product. Highest recommendation.
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