Space Circus (Viper Comics – Hutchins / Anderson / Escalante / Atkinson / Garza / Rothstein / Resnicoff)
Cosmo Niditch doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a military man. No, he dreams of becoming a great clown in the Cyrus Brothers Intergalactic Traveling Space Circus. But running away to the circus is only the beginning of the adventure that will take him across the galaxy, to Earth, in search of the legendary Flying Berrendo Brothers.
Space Circus is another great all-ages project to come out of Viper Comics. Space Circus is a family-friendly book that is a very original story that embraces familiar themes. During the course of this 70 page graphic novel, the authors create a well-mixed synthesis of teenage rebellion, “Everyone has value“, “Getting the band back together” and “Follow your Dreams”.
The set-up is that young Cosmo is driven to find his own path as an entertainer, looking to make people smile rather than follow the career of his father, a well-intentioned but driven military type. He literally runs away to the circus, only to find that the Great Intergalactic Space Circus of his dreams is on its last legs. They are having financial issues and they need new audiences. Now, Cosmo starts on a quest to find legends of a generation past to help revitalize his dream. Along the way to resurrect the glory that was once the Intergalactic Traveling Space Circus, he collects a group of misfit-type friends, an unexpected love interested and the key to resurrect the Circus to it’s former glory!
This story was adapted from an original screenplay and it feels like it – in all the right ways. High kid-centric action, fun out-of-the-box characters and an energetic plot that will keep any age reader interested from page one until the end. The art is very good – it fits the plot just right with the perfect balance of detailed form and colorful fun.
The truth be told, it does feel like The Muppets, or insert random Pixar movie, but the story flows with such fluidity and grace that the reader simply enjoys the ride instead of focusing on the fact that we have been here before.
This is a great project, a phenomenal bedtime book and perfect read-out-loud – it will be available soon from Viper Comics!
Grade: A
