Comics don’t always hit in the realm of comic book shops. In Vegas, I’ve seen a few comics based on the many characters that dwell here. Some people do a fantastic job of creating a story based on the concepts, and this book does a fantastic job of doing so.
The Book
The Golden Tiki
Written by Tim Chizmar and Rik Offenberger
Art by Ron Williams
Colors by Victor Raniery
Letters by Francisco Zamora
Script Editor Chris Squires and Stacey Smekofske
Publisher: Spooky Ninja Kitty
The Golden Tiki at heart is a pirate romp. Amaya starts right in a foreign place with no clue how she got there. She finds herself turning to a golden watch, and an encounter with Evel Knievel, she seems to be stuck, and the trouble only continues. William Tobias Faulkner, a pirate and scoundrel sees Amaya as a potential slave and holding something valuable, so offers to rescue her.
Their adventures continue throughout the issue. There are monsters, from giant frogs to sirens and even Butt Kraken. But (pun intended) the story is ultimately about Amaya looking for a way home and maybe finding her way back.
This book is super fun and imaginative. It’s a bit of a throwback to the classic pulp stories like Burroughs and Ruyo I read back in my days. Chizmar and Offenberger lead Amaya into a lot of fun places, and worlds of wonder and trouble. The story manages to maintain a really good balance of whimsy, humor, and stakes. Amaya is always one step away from final danger, and there’s a good sense of that throughout. So while this book is a fun read, it’s also just serious enough to have stakes. Kudos to Chizmar and Offenberger for hitting that balance so well.
The art is perfect for this. Ron Williams manages to draw very beautiful women throughout. Amaya, the sirens, you name it pop. He also does a wonderful job with the ships, the monsters, and the loot. The range Williams presents here is incredible. Credit to colorist Victor Raniery for giving William’s pencils a touch more dimension.
I would be remiss not to mention the bonus content in the issue. The Spooky Ninja Kitty box is a great homage to Stan’s Soapbox in Marvel Lore. Tim writes a very fun love letter to his love of comics and the restaurant this is based after. What made this old reviewer smile was the letters column in the back of the book which has some very fun content in there. Credit to letterer Francisco Zamora for making the columns shine in particular.
This is a fun book. It’s an old-school pulp-style comic and there’s not enough of these into the world. Kudos to all involved. I enjoyed this a lot.
The Business
Nearing the end of my North American adventures. All that’s left for me is to head back to Canada. I’ve seen and have a lot of great stories about my time in the States. Every day has been an adventure, but what I will say in this time, is how many people have been kind to me in the States. This aspect of Americans is greatly understated. From Maine to Vegas I’ve seen a lot of kindness and caring. It’s a wonderful thing to see out there, so America, thank you for the journey so far.
To the rest of you, if you want to read about my journey check out my substack at joshua pantalleresco dot substack dot com.
If you need your books edited, or something written let me know.
See you guys soon. I’m nearing a hundred columns here, so let’s read some great books! Talk soon.
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