After an arc full of excitement, capped off with an epic video-game duel, It Girl is taking a break; and as per the five-on, one-off pattern that Rich and Norton have decided to follow, this is a one-shot that stands completely apart from It Girl’s adventures so far. In the spotlight this month: Mr. Gum!
Written by Jamie S. Rich
Illustrated by Chynna Clugston-Flores“HIS SPACE HOLIDAY”
It’s a solo Mr. Gum adventure! The rubbery Atomic has the day off on a distant planet. He’s met a cute alien girl and is about to get a glimpse of the local wildlife. Prepare for giant space-monster action with guest art by Blue Monday creator CHYNNA CLUGSTON FLORES!
So what’s Mr. Gum been up to all this time, besides being stretchy? If this issue is any indication, it seems he’s been taking full advantage of his position as a drummer in an intergalactic rock band — we catch up with him on the planet Blue Bambo, where he’s doing his best to pick up all kinds of alien ladies. But it’s not long before a pair of warthog-like beings named Jeth and Ro (…you see what they did there) pull him away from the party, enlisting the help of the gummy man as they attempt to fulfill an age-old prophecy and rid their home of famine. At least, that’s how things look…
From the get-go, this is a fast-paced, energetic, irreverent issue, with lots of bendy-stretchy madcap action and at least one neat surprise. That said, the writing isn’t quite perfect here. Mr. Gum is kind of an obnoxious character, and while the issue plays his antics for laughs it doesn’t always get them. His unnamed alien lady friend who accompanies him on the adventure doesn’t add too much to the story, either: having been won over by him pretty quickly, she winds up playing Fay Wray to Mr. Gum’s Bruce Cabot and that’s about that. I mean, obviously there isn’t a lot of room in a one-shot like this for Epic Sweeping Romance or what-have-you, but that element was a little jarring — surely something could have changed between them between the beginning of the issue and the end, in order to add a bit of impetus and direction to the story as a whole?
None of this is to say that the story isn’t thoroughly entertaining, though, and between the warthog-person skullduggery and blue monster rampages it’s just what you’d expect of an It Girl one-shot: shallow, engaging fun.
What sells the whole is the lovely art. Chynna Clugston-Flores (of “Blue Monday” fame) keeps the mood bouncy and light-hearted, underscoring the humorous moments with a lot of flair. Her style complements Mike Norton’s work on the title but also stands apart from it in an interesting way, carving out a world that’s far more anarchic and unpredictable in mood but still has that tendency toward prominent black fields. There’s also some cool work here with curving panel shapes, which adds a lot to the movement and energy of a particular page in addition to meshing well with the movements and contortions of the gummy man himself. Allen Passalaqua’s colours are accordingly amped up for the occasion, and the result is a bright neon slap-in-the-face of a comic.
Overall this is a fun issue that looks great. There’s nothing terribly remarkable about it storywise, but good fun is good fun and sometimes that’s all you need in a one-shot. And as a jumping-on point, this is a great way to get a feel for the Madman/It Girl atmosphere. It’s just not absolutely essential either.
Final Verdict: 7.5 — A bouncy browse.
