KING: JUNGLE JIM #1 Review

By Harrison Rawdin on Thursday, February 5th, 2015

Is this an arc that needs to exist? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

“He IS the forest!” Welcome to the KING, full of RUSTIC WARS and BEASTIAL BLUSTER and UNFORGIVING TERRAIN and IMPOSSIBLE ORIGINS and ENIGMATIC ABILITIES and CREEPY DOMICILES and REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD MONKEYS! STRAP IN for HIGH ADVENTURE from Eisner-Award Winner PAUL TOBIN (Bandette) and SANDY JARRELL (Meteor Men) with a connecting King cover by comic legend DARWYN COOKE!

The fertile narrative ground left in the wake of Kings Watch and the Flash Gordon eight issue series, has left room for further possibilities as yet another hero emerges in a world tormented by the merciless Ming! And wouldn’t you know it? The creative team takes what they’re given and they absolutely run with it by crafting an outstanding introduction issue that’s chock-full of spunk and fun.

Paul Tobin pens the comic, and it’s clear from the first page to the final panel that this author understands how to deliver personality in spades. Each characters is afforded depth, comedy and solid interaction as smooth dialogue rises up with uncanny results. Our leading lady, Lille, is joined in her hunt for a hundred year old legend by none other than Thun and Kugor. All of Arboria becomes a hot spot thanks to Jungle Jim and in praise of the text there could not have been a more appropriate scribe for these dynamic forest festivities.

What honestly helps to solidify this yarn is the visual component of the piece. As Sandy Jarrell takes on the established look of this planet and transforms it ever so slightly, which to my surprise made the entire run even more engaging. The character renditions and background details merge in a simplistic unison that mirrors a minimalist approach while embracing a dynamite color palette.

King: Jungle Jim #1 is a exactly what I, as a fan and reviewer wanted. The entire comic is smart, compelling and the creative team is crafty in their execution. And so even though this is a first round effort it still earns high marks from me.