Bill & Ted Save The Universe SC (BOOM! – Joines / Bachan / Guimaraes / Campbell)The Wyld Stallyns are back, and this time they’re travelling across the whole universe! Bill and Ted have been kidnapped by a bodacious alien and are handed over to…their long-lost family?! Brian Joines and Bachan (Bill & Ted Go to Hell) team up once more for an all-new Bill & Ted adventure. Collects the complete 5-issue series
Bill and Ted Save the Universe is the latest excellent installment of the series by the masterminds at Boom Studios. The 126 page comic book is the story of Bill and Ted’s intergalactic adventure with their newly discovered moms, and they must save the universe from evil forces, including one of their best friends. They encounter the larger than life antagonist villainous nemesis, Primary Glurm, who has plans to ruin the duos’ lives and take over the world. We get to see more with Ted’s brother, Deacon, who falls into the hands of something sinister, and must make a decision that will affect the entire universe! a great change throughout Deacon takes his fans along with him on an emotional roller coaster, leaving us wondering what he’s going to do next. As an artist I looked at the comic book through that lens, and truly admired the detail work that went into every single page, including my favorite part, the cover. It’s a super fun action-packed, radical adventure as two best friends have to go on a quest to save what they love through space.
Taking a look at the overall art, the amount of work what went into this single comic is truly noteworthy. My favorite part was the cover, as the duo seemed to pop off the page in direct contrast with the background, filled with less detailed characters. This technique brings the bringing the viewer’s eyes to the foreground drawing attention to the focal point, in this case, Bill and Ted. It was a great way to grab my attention while presenting something clear and cohesive. One detail that I appreciate are all the different fonts used for each of the characters dialogue frames. I often see illustrators use a single font through their work, just letting the diolouage speak for itself, but the creators of this particular saga decided to go a different route and use the fonts to their advantage. The font changed every time they wanted to convey a different emotion or emphasize something the characters were saying, giving the words a personality of their own. As a part-time comic collector, I appreciate the extensive time and effort put into this to tell the exciting story of Bill, Ted, and their phone booth taking them through time and space.
I also know how hard it is to present an original entertaining idea through an essay, or short story, let alone doing the same thing through illustrations and minimal dialogue. This is especially impressive when the drawings are extremely detailed and fill page after page. How the illustrator layers his work, to create a sense of realistic depth with such contrasting characters is truly epic. The brilliant work from the creator easily allows the reader to follow the storyline through the pictures by moving the eye exactly where they want it to go without any thought. Today, some popular comic franchises attempt to apply this skill, but fail and end up leaving reader a with a confusing overstuffed comic.
At the end of each chapter there is a transition that helps the reader take a break, yet leaves them wanting more. I love the futuristic/artistic style that something as simple as the transitions that the illustrator creates. They really put detail and thought into every aspect of this masterpiece! It moves the story easily, while giving the reader a slight break from the jam-packed action. The mix of digital and hand drawn illustrations which gives a feel that is visually pleasing and feels digital. The story itself it sucks you in faster than a traveling phone booth, leaving you asking for more. It was full of twists and turns and creative plot points. As a first time reader, I was easily able to connect and felt like I have known the characters my whole life. Even coming from someone who has never read or seen anything remoting relating to franchise, I thoroughly enjoyed the comic and am looking forward the the next installment!
