Written by: Gail Simone
Penciled by: Gurihiru
Inked by: Gurihiru
Colored by: Gurihiru
Lettered by: Rus Wooton
Editor: Teresa Focarille
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I am a man torn.
On the one hand I am happy, for this is one of the few books in recent memory written for a specifically younger audience with the intent of bringing younger readers into the hobby of comic book reading which also manages the neat trick of being just as enjoyable for cynics and other alleged adults like yours truly.
On the other hand, I am sad, because Gail Simone (on who I have gushed more praise than I think anyone is comfortable with) signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics and that likely means that it will be at least a year before I am able to enjoy Gus Beezer’s marvelous adventures again!
In case you missed it the first time, Gus Beezer centers upon Gus Beezer; your average 10 year old comic fan, who has the added advantage of living in the Marvel Universe. He plays pretend in his head and vanishes into his own little world where he fights along-side (or becomes) his favorite heroes, only to have his boyish fantasies come crashing around him as reality sets back in. In other words, it’s Calvin and Hobbes for comic geeks. Still, its not all that bad for Gus who has gotten to meet a lot of his heroes in one way or another. The X-Men stopped by his house (sadly, it turned out his baby sister is the mutant they were looking for), he survived an encounter with The Hulk (who just wanted some pudding) and it turns out that his cousin Peter is really good friends with Spider-Man.
This book continues the trend, with Gus being frustrated over his inability to beat his bratty older sister in a race after managing to win a track meet at school - this being accomplished by his pretending he is Spider-Man and that the other kids are Venom, Electro and company chasing after him. Sent along with cousin Peter to his boring job as a photographer for the Daily Bugle, Gus finds himself duct taped to a chair after he almost mouths off to J. Jonah Jameson following a tirade about "that criminal Spider-Man". Still, things turn out for the best and after a truly priceless scene in which a bound-but-no-longer-gagged Gus gets to say his peace to Jolly Jonah, Peter returns from an errand (ie. Vulture and Green Goblin attack) with an autographed picture of Spidey as well as some heartfelt advice as to the best way to beat a bully.
The artwork is perfectly cartoonish, with Peter and Jonah looking disjointed but not unrecognizable. And as before, the bottom third of each page depicts a childishly-drawn comic book by Gus himself, depicting the adventures of Marvel Boy and Marvel Dog (aka Gus and his dog Zabu).
The only complaint I have about this book is that it is not published more regularly. Much has been said about how more books are needed which are written for a younger audience and yet are not "dumbed down". Much is said, yet few are actually DOING anything about the problem. Still, I hope this book will find the success it deserves and that we will find many more books like Gus Beezer in the coming year.
Showing posts with label Gus Beezer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gus Beezer. Show all posts
Monday, January 5, 2004
Monday, April 7, 2003
The Marvelous Adventures Of Gus Beezer With Spider-Man # 1 - A Review
Written by: Gail Simone
Penciled by: Jason Letheco
Inked by: Jason Lethcoe
Colored by: Hi Fi
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Raicht
Publisher: Marvel Comics
A common complaint I hear at the comic book store I work at is that there are no books for children anymore. And it is a valid complaint. With a few exceptions, there aren’t many books that are really written for kids. There are books devoid of offensive content (Archie), books based on cartoons (Cartoon Cartoon and Dexter’s Lab) and simpler comics based on an established superhero (Batman and Justice League Adventures, which I know are cartoons also, but lets not quibble)… but nothing that is actually written with kids in mind. Even the books that profess to be about children suffer from Peanuts syndrome, being about intelligent, wisecracking adults trapped in children’s bodies.
Complain no more, parents of all nations, for Gail Simone has surprised me with the perfect book for children of all ages! I should note that my surprise comes not from Simone’s writing something so perfect but from the fact that the same person who wrote such perfect twisted dark humor for Agent X and Deadpool can also write so perfectly for children.
Gus Beezer is a kid’s kid. He loves comics and superheroes and plays pretend that he is his favorite superheroes. He is on the edge of his seat waiting for the new Spider-Man movie. He’s even named his pet dog Zabu, after the faithful cat of KaZar. And this book lets us see the world through his eyes in a fashion not unlike that of the much missed “Calvin and Hobbes”.
The entire concept of the book can be summed up in the opening scene, where we see Spider-Man going out on a nightly patrol. He spots The Lizard, swings down to meet him and the Lizard yells… “Mom says it’s time for dinner! Hey… is that my jump rope? It is my jump rope!” Cut to a picture of a boy in boy with a Spider-Man shirt and Astro-Boy hair hanging upside down from a tree and insisting that he is using a web-line to a not-so understanding older sister.
The rest of the book continues in this fashion: Gus will be in the middle of a daydream, living out his fantasies playing pretend, when he is disturbed by the intrusion of other people. This continues, with the brave Spider-Gus facing menaces at a family reunion such as “Auntie Venom” and a Green Goblin who pelts him with over-cooked hamburgers. And don’t worry True Believers: The Real Spider-Man DOES make an appearance.
The artwork is perfect, being very childlike and sketchy without being overly cartoony. And I never would have thought it possible to make a grey bun look natural on Venom or to have a cartoonish Doctor Octopus look menacing wearing a chef’s hat and “Kiss The Cook” apron, but somehow Lethcoe manages. He also does a nice job with the comic strip “Amazing Tales of Mysteriousness”, written and drawn by “Grinning” Gus Beezer, which runs underneath the main story and is apparently drawn on lined notebook paper, like so many of the comics I made when I was a young lad.
All in all, this is a perfect book to give to the young ones you want to introduce to the joys of reading and comics in particular. Wherever Bill Jemas is right now, I hope he is kicking himself for letting Gail Simone go and I hope that DC snaps her up and gives her an exclusive contract ASAP.
Penciled by: Jason Letheco
Inked by: Jason Lethcoe
Colored by: Hi Fi
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Raicht
Publisher: Marvel Comics
A common complaint I hear at the comic book store I work at is that there are no books for children anymore. And it is a valid complaint. With a few exceptions, there aren’t many books that are really written for kids. There are books devoid of offensive content (Archie), books based on cartoons (Cartoon Cartoon and Dexter’s Lab) and simpler comics based on an established superhero (Batman and Justice League Adventures, which I know are cartoons also, but lets not quibble)… but nothing that is actually written with kids in mind. Even the books that profess to be about children suffer from Peanuts syndrome, being about intelligent, wisecracking adults trapped in children’s bodies.
Complain no more, parents of all nations, for Gail Simone has surprised me with the perfect book for children of all ages! I should note that my surprise comes not from Simone’s writing something so perfect but from the fact that the same person who wrote such perfect twisted dark humor for Agent X and Deadpool can also write so perfectly for children.
Gus Beezer is a kid’s kid. He loves comics and superheroes and plays pretend that he is his favorite superheroes. He is on the edge of his seat waiting for the new Spider-Man movie. He’s even named his pet dog Zabu, after the faithful cat of KaZar. And this book lets us see the world through his eyes in a fashion not unlike that of the much missed “Calvin and Hobbes”.
The entire concept of the book can be summed up in the opening scene, where we see Spider-Man going out on a nightly patrol. He spots The Lizard, swings down to meet him and the Lizard yells… “Mom says it’s time for dinner! Hey… is that my jump rope? It is my jump rope!” Cut to a picture of a boy in boy with a Spider-Man shirt and Astro-Boy hair hanging upside down from a tree and insisting that he is using a web-line to a not-so understanding older sister.
The rest of the book continues in this fashion: Gus will be in the middle of a daydream, living out his fantasies playing pretend, when he is disturbed by the intrusion of other people. This continues, with the brave Spider-Gus facing menaces at a family reunion such as “Auntie Venom” and a Green Goblin who pelts him with over-cooked hamburgers. And don’t worry True Believers: The Real Spider-Man DOES make an appearance.
The artwork is perfect, being very childlike and sketchy without being overly cartoony. And I never would have thought it possible to make a grey bun look natural on Venom or to have a cartoonish Doctor Octopus look menacing wearing a chef’s hat and “Kiss The Cook” apron, but somehow Lethcoe manages. He also does a nice job with the comic strip “Amazing Tales of Mysteriousness”, written and drawn by “Grinning” Gus Beezer, which runs underneath the main story and is apparently drawn on lined notebook paper, like so many of the comics I made when I was a young lad.
All in all, this is a perfect book to give to the young ones you want to introduce to the joys of reading and comics in particular. Wherever Bill Jemas is right now, I hope he is kicking himself for letting Gail Simone go and I hope that DC snaps her up and gives her an exclusive contract ASAP.
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