Super Dinosaur, Volume 1

 I'm not sure how to react to this book....Is Robert Kirkman doing a po-faced tribute to the 1980's toy comics (G.I. Joe, Transformers, Masters of The Universe, etc.), or is he making a bold-faced attempt at creating a character that will spawn children's merchandise?

SUPER DINOSAUR is not a good book, by any stretch of the imagination. The art, by Jason Howard, is very nice, but the story is pure by-the-numbers Kirkman. (I don't think Kirkman's really done anything special, aside from THE WALKING DEAD.) I could probably accept this as a kid-oriented adventure book, but Kirkman kept slipping in new outfits and accessories for Super-Dinosaur to wear, and breathlessly giving the new accoutrements cute names that would look great on a toy box......I dunno, it all seemed a bit too blatant for my tastes. I have nothing against children's literature, and kids will probably eat this up, since it has Dinosaurs fighting each other while wearing massive suits of armor, but it just doesn't seem to have anything to offer adult readers. (I did, however, love how Super Dinosaur controls his armor by using joysticks manipulated by his little tiny arms....clever, funny touch.)