With “Bob’s Burgers” #1, Dynamite Entertainment dives right into the heart of what makes the animated series Bob’s Burgers so fun: Bronies. Lots and lots of Bronies.
Written by Mike Olsen, Jeff Drake, Rachel Hastings, and Justin Hook
Illustrated by Brad Rader, Tony Gennaro, Frank Forte, Bernard DerrimanA new series from the hit TV show “Bob’s Burgers,” created by Loren Bouchard! All right! The very first Bob’s Burgers comic book, a new series from the creator of the hit TV show, created by Loren Bouchard! Now you can read about the Belcher family (parents Bob and Linda, and their children Tina, Gene and Louise) in brand-new in-canon stories created by the TV show’s producers, writers and animators creating all original stories appearing exclusively in this comics series. Each comic includes hilarious installments of: “Louise’s Unsolved Mysteries,” “Tina’s Erotic Friend Fiction,” “A Gene Belcher Original Musical,” “Letters Written by Linda” and “Bob’s Burgers of the Day.” Bob’s Burgers is an American animated sitcom that airs on Fox television with other hits such as The Simpsons and Family Guy!
When you take away all the circuses of hype and previews, the first page of the #1 issue of a comic is ludicrously important. It’s our first impression, and it can make or break certain titles before their opening issue can even finish. Some comics have awful first pages, some great, and “Bob’s Burgers” #1 features internet sweetheart Tina Belcher as a fully-grown horse just trying to get through high school.
“Bob’s Burgers” is so flipping rad, you guys.
In case you haven’t seen the Fox animated sitcom, “Bob’s Burgers” focuses on the Belcher family and their escapades while working in their burger joint and interacting with the wacky characters in their seaside home in New Jersey (it takes place in New Jersey, ignore everyone who says otherwise). It follows the King of the Hill style of taking place in a grounded setting that occasionally goes wild with daydreams, hallucinations and the like; one episode had a big tribute to My Neighbor Totoro, and it was incredible. In fact, many of the show’s dream sequences, and the show in general, can be described as pretty damn incredible. That’s why it’s so exciting to take a look at “Bob’s Burgers” #1 and realize that, yeah, we’re getting an avenue for the Bob’s Burgers creators to really let go with the trippier scenes. Even better, the first story in this anthology collection is Tina’s Erotic Friend Fiction: “My So-Called Life as a Horse”.
Without spoiling any of these stories, they really dig deep into each of the Belcher family’s psyche, especially the children’s overactive imagination. Some of them, like the Tina-Brony story work great and are the type of over-the-top stories that make for great comics. Others, like Louise and Gene’s are equally as funny but would likely work much better in the show. The Louise segment is funny and offers a fun insight into how paranoid she can get but it’d work just as well in the show. Gene’s musical segment, however — again, it’s funny but there’s a reason no one talks about Daniel Way’s musical issue of “Deadpool”. Musicals are great, Bob’s Burgers is great but it’s just the type of idea I’d rather see executed on the TV show rather than shown here.
That’s not to say the Gene segment is short on the visual storytelling. All the segments in “Bob’s Burgers” feature great art from Brad Rader, Frank Forte, and Bernard Derriman that coincides nicely with the show’s aesthetic without hitching itself completely to its source material. The glitter-choked world of the Equestranauts, Louise’s sugar-rushed paranoia, and the whimsical world of “The Boy in the Burger: The Musical” are all subtly distinct from each other but create a nicely unified title. There’s also some one-page segments that delve into what the parents are up to (as always, Linda steals the show with her wine-riddled suggestion letter to Apparently You’re Parenting Magazine). Throw in some excellent pin-ups and “Bob’s Burgers” #1 is a visual treat that’s equal parts funny and adorable. Like a cow about to be slaughtered into a burger.
“Bob’s Burgers” #1 joins the ranks of other tie-in comics as of late that break free from their source materials to just tell some really fun stories. If you’re a fan of the show, it’s a hilarious title that’ll expand your views on the Belcher family. If not, maybe this comic will change your mind to try out Fox’s best animated series. That’s right, The Simpsons. Someone said you weren’t the best. On the internet.
Final Verdict: 8.4 – If you’re a fan of the show you’ve already purchased this comic and read it four times. If not, “Bob’s Burgers” #1 is a hilarious comic in the best veins of The Simpsons and King of the Hill. Really, in both comics and on TV, “Bob’s Burgers” is one of the best that sitcoms have to offer.
