Broken Frontier

Gus is visiting England to settle his family’s estate. Weird things happen on the property, leading the locals to believe that the land is haunted. Will whatever is behind the strange occurrences allow Gus to sell the house or even sleep through the night?

Published in 1943, Walt Disney’s The Gremlins was the first children’s book by Roald Dahl. Yep, before Willy Wonka or a giant peach filled with insects, the visionary author wrote a book about the little green men that sabotaged airplanes during the great war.

Originally it was slated to be adapted as a cartoon, but no one could figure out how to make monsters who sabotaged allied planes into loveable characters. After two years of waiting for this title, I was beginning to think that this comic had suffered a similar fate. My daughter and I were both excited by the prospect of this book and we both proudly display the Dark Horse hardcover edition of the original story on our book shelves. Her impetuous eleven year old wit declared that this comic "better be worth the wait" when she was told that it would be coming home today.

The jury is still out with her, but for me this is a nice beginning. Richardson introduces us to the concept and quickly summarizes the Dahl story. Then he introduces us to our young hero and his situation. The grandson of the original hero is in England to sell the old house and runs into a very pushy real estate dealer named Mr. Snide. But with the strange happenings, curiosity and a sense of duty in honoring the wishes of his namesake prevent him from sealing the deal right away.

The story is all exposition which is fine, but in a three issue mini, one hopes the action would come a little quicker. However, when the title characters start their mischief, all is forgiven.  The story has a tone not unlike the old Goofy cartoons.

The art is reminiscent of those classics as well. While Rodes provides a lush background, Yeagle does a nice homage to the classic Disney short feel. These aren’t ambiguous breeds of puppies, but you can see the old Disney style there. Of course, one would expect this of an artist who once worked for the historic studio. He has a firm grasp on the exaggerated expressions that help bring these types of designs to life. Other then a couple of panels where it seems that unfinished art was published, the art fits well with the ambience of the book.

The package is rounded out with a reprint of a classic Gremlins comic. Overall, the book is a nice homage to a classic pairing of children’s creators. I hope the wait is not as long for the next issue!