The Gist:
When a mysterious sleep causing mist starts to filter through the valley of peace, Po and the Furious Five must get to the bottom of things before it is too late.
The Review:
I had to remind myself that Kung Fu Panda is aimed at younger readers several times when I was going through it. You see, almost any review can be boiled down to the essential question; is it any good or not? As reviewers prefer to write for nice outlets instead of, say, a fortune cookie company, we like to pad things out a bit with things no one asked for (like I’m doing, right now). No one ever said, ‘I’ve got to read that review to see if the latest issue has good characterisation and plot structure.’ But we do it anyway because it’s all we know how to do.
The Verdict:
Po’s comic book adventures don’t really lend themselves to that sort of analysis. It’s a cheery enough beginning to a simple enough plot. In fact, this entire issue is simply set up for the next one, with page after page of filler.
If I were judging this from a ‘They’re called graphic novels, not comics’ adult point of view, I’d give Kung Fu Panda two out of five at most. But as a comic aimed at younger kids, I’m going to bump it up to three out of five. Most of the issue is spent watching Po and his friends walk somewhere, but the dialogue is energetic and the art work is good.
Publisher: Titan Comics
Published: 7th October 2015
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