The “Adventure Time” team and guests celebrate two years of bringing Finn and Jake’s fantastic adventures from screen to page. The result is a suitably epic ode to the land of Ooo through the ages.
Written by Ryan North
Illustrated by Dustin Nguyen, Jess Fink, Jeffery Brown, Jim Rugg, Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb, and Chris O’NeillEver have a favorite item? Something that you plan to keep with you always? Something that has a history back further than you can remember? Something precious…cherished…that will continue on after you’ve left on your final adventure and keep continuing. This is the story of that gem, and how truly loved it was. Join an ensemble of fan-favorite creators as we celebrate the 25th issue of ADVENTURE TIME with this very special issue!
It’s rare that a licensed product ever lives up to its source material, but BOOM’s “Adventure Time” is certainly one of the exceptions. This special anniversary issue perfectly captures nearly every facet of the show’s vibrant spirit, and pays tribute to its legacy in a grand way.
Beginning in prehistoric Ooo, North and company weave a tale of the power of friendship, one that stretches into the far future. It may sound hokey, but fear not, there’s plenty of bun punching and bonkers humor to balance out all those pesky emotions. “Adventure Time” #25 is a blend of anthology style shorts featuring a handful of artists, each of which contribute to the overarching story.
The issue begins with a hilarious ode to North’s “Dinosaur Comics,” narrated by Carl the Gem, one of the issue’s central characters. The intro feels strangely un-Adventure Time, but it establishes the issue’s central premise in a fun and quirky way. Plus, who doesn’t love to see Dustin Nguyen draw dinosaurs, or anything for that matter? Nguyen’s black and white, ink washed pages are stunning, but they take on new life when a technicolor comet crash lands, soaking the page in vibrant hues.
The rest of the issue follows Carl the Gem and his companion Gemma as they weave in and out of the lives of the inhabitants of Ooo. Before the story gets to the present, in all its Finn and Jake-iness, North gives us two stories of the distant past starring Bubblegum Princess and Marceline.
The first of the two is a light-hearted origin of mining. If the credits are listed in order of appearance, then Jess Fink is the artist who so gorgeously illustrates the tale. Fink’s style is a slightly more whimsical and stylized take on the Adventure Time “house style,” and fits in wonderfully.
While the previous segment showcases a high point in Marceline and Bubblegum’s friendship, the second shows us one of their lows. Illustrated by Jeffrey Brown (of “Darth Vader and Son”), the segment has a distinct storybook quality. It’s arguably one of the best looking sections of the entire book. Unfortunately, much of the work gets covered by excessive word balloon use. While Marceline’s verbosity pays off in a big way emotionally, it’s a shame that Brown couldn’t be given a little more room to work. Of course, he does get an entire cover to himself, a stunning “Dungeons and Dragons” tribute that begs to be framed.
The rest of the issue, which appears to be handled by the regular art team of Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb, possibly with Jim Rugg thrown into mix as well, is a quintessential Adventure Time romp. North demonstrates a fantastic grasp on the large cast, particularly Finn and Jake. Bubblegum and Marceline are the true heroes of this story, which frees the duo up for some gut-busting comedy. North’s dialogue here is top notch, full of ridiculous banter, outrageous wit, and heaping helping of heart-based rudeness.
The final pages, which highlight both the issue’s theme as well as the core concept of Adventure Time, are surprisingly powerful. I won’t discuss them in-depth, as there are some great scenes that should be experienced firsthand. Suffice it to say, North knows just how to elicit a proper fist pump.
“Adventure Time” #25 is a terrific singular story, with fantastic art and a strong voice. The individual stories can feel somewhat disjointed, and the excessive word balloons often obscure the art. However, everything comes together in the end to form a product that is even better than the sum of its individual parts. “Adventure Time” is always quite “epic” in its absurdity, but rarely does it feel this grand and powerful. “Adventure Time” #25 is a great reminder that not only can comics based on licensed properties be good, they should be good. They can even, on occasion, be better than the source. Congrats to the creative team on this accomplishment, and may their fun never end.
Final Verdict: 9.4 – Buy
