There are a lot of comics out there, but some just stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we continue Operation Impending Doom with “Invader Zim.”
Who is this By?
While Jhonen Vasquez maintains credit as the creator, the comic is written by Eric Trueheart and illustrated by Maddie C. It has Warren Wucinich lettering, and Fred C. Stresing with the colors
What’s It all About?
The comic carries on where the Invader Zim cartoon left off. Zim and GIR (and occasionally Mini Moose) are trying to take over the Earth, but they’re really bad at it. Dib is the only one who cares, so he tries to stop them, and he’s not particularly good at it either. Everyone is insane, everything is wild, and it’s all absolutely hilarious.
What Makes It So Great?
Everything that made the original Invader Zim a classic is still present. The characters are completely true to how they were in the show, so we get the same levels of insanity, egotism, mad science, and over-the-top humor one would hope for. The world is a crazy, mixed-up place, a dark mirror upon which our worst aspects are reflected, and it’s all the more hilarious because of it.
Maddie C.’s artwork does a fantastic job replicating the look and feel of the original cartoon. Even the way the panels are designed, jagged and angular, matches the tone: frazzled, mad, and chaotic. At the same time, Fred C. Stresing’s color work makes each of the colors pop, somehow managing to be both vibrant and match the dark tone of the comic simultaneously.
In short, if you loved the cartoon, the comic has everything that made the show great. The only thing it lacks is the actual voice cast, and Eric Trueheart writes the dialogue so pitch-perfect you’ll read all the lines in their voices anyway.
How Can You Read It?
Several volumes of the trade paperback are out, and can be found online or at your local comic shop. Each new issue can be found either in stores or on Comixology.
