There are weeks in which the strain of reading comics sometimes becomes too much. I’m not saying that it’s a difficult activity, but rather it’s something that just weighs heavy on my shoulders. There are so many books, most of which are dark and intense, that require a serious investment to truly enjoy. Someday’s I just want to grab a comic book that doesn’t ask anything of me other than to just enjoy it for what it is.
That is where Looney Tunes #223 from DC comes into the picture. Being as someone who grew up with Looney Tunes this book already had my interest, but knowing that I could get a number of singular stories devoid of backstory that required meticulous research made me smile. What we get are five individual comedic stories that hearken back to a simpler time in the world of comic books.
There is a lot of content here, but I am going to focus my attention on the two major multiple page stories that bookend this comic. “Job Insecurity” features the strongest tale, itself featuring the Coyote and Road Runner. Being the hardened adult that I am, I was not expecting this book to instill laughter from me, let alone on the first page, but it did. Everyone knows how these two characters interact, but the modern take on a very old joke still works.
Derek Fridolfs has a great understanding of the back and forth between these two Looney Tunes characters and because of that manages to translate their adventures into a modern setting very smoothly. We even get a few callbacks to some classic Coyote friends that offer a bit of fun to those that know these characters history.
The story see another Coyote failure that leaves him broke, forcing the plucky Wile E. Coyote to get a job with ACME, the very company he buys his less than effective products from. The crux of the tale sees Coyote going through ACME product testing as a new member of the team. This of course leads to the books most interesting gags and shows that maybe, just maybe, he should buy from another supplier. It’s a fun story that even ends with a nice kicker that goes a long way in explaining why Roadrunner is never in any real danger.
Dave Alvarez handles the art on this story and does good job conveying what the script wants. This being a kids book (I know that shouldn’t be used as an excuse) I wasn’t expecting much, but it does enough to please kids and fans of these Looney Tunes characters alike. The coloring on the other hand comes off as a little too digital, if that makes sense. I know I’ve been trained not to expect amazing things, but much of the time it just feels like they just used the paint bucket tool to fill everything in.
The book has a number of short bits after our initial story and eventually ends on another multiple page story by David Cody Weiss entitled, “Elemer’s Home Impairment”. What we get is a spoof on all those home improvement shows that litter cable television channels at all hours of the day and night. Elemer does his best to host a show as Bugs Bunny causes problems. As a kid these Bugs episodes were always fun, but as an adult I read a lot more into things. Bugs is a major manipulator and is great at getting his way without making seem like he is doing anything nefarious at all. It’s a cute tale that doesn’t stray far from the standard Looney Tunes fare.
At the end of the day Looney Tunes #223 is a lot of fun that is an excellent book for kids and parents alike. I miss this sort of multistory comic book and just wished that DC would handle them in the same manner as some of their bigger titles. Kids books are important, now more than ever, but they shouldn’t have lesser standards than the bigger books.
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