Misfit City #1
Writers: Kristen “Kiwi” Smith & Kurt Lustgarten
Artist: Naomi Franquiz
Colors: Brittany Peer
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Boom! Box
Review By Greg Brothers
So, we all have that movie that we love growing up. One where we can imagine being part of the cast. Being part of the adventure. Doing all the research of where it was filmed, what local landmarks, homes and businesses were used. Maybe you have even taken time to visit one of those towns. Now imagine you live in one of those towns where these movies are filmed.
Misfit City #1 introduces us to the city of Cannon Cove, Oregon, where a classic kids adventure movie called The Gloomies was filmed. While on film it seems like the perfect place to grow up, for those that live there in the real-world things are not so perfect. Their everyday lives are interrupted by groups of tourists who have little regard for the residents living in the town. While the residents have, all learned to deal with living in a small town that is constantly besieged by tourists, the last will and testament of one of the town’s residents is about to send them on an adventure.
While Misfit City #1 could have felt too much like a retelling of the classic 80’s movie The Goonies, the tongue in cheek, and wink and nod writing keep it from feeling like a retelling of a classic movie. While the women are grown up and in some ways annoyed by the tourists who regularly overrun their town they still cannot turn away from the chance of an adventure when it is presented to them. Tiny things like the women being older is one of the things that keeps it from feeling too much like a retelling. Even the introduction of the foil of the book feels fresh despite it being the classic trope of the disgruntled great nephew and niece.
Smith, Lustgarten, and Franquiz do an excellent job or not only introducing the characters here but also starting to develop the unique characteristics of each of them. The women are not only unique in their race, and styles but also in body types. It would have been easy to make all the women similar since they all were from the same small town, but the use of diversity reminds younger readers that the book is aimed for that friendship can cross all divides. It is something that not everyone will notice while reading but it does lay those subconscious thoughts.
Besides the uniqueness of each of the characters the art is the right amount of realistic and cartoonish. With things like facial expressions and environment leaning more towards realistic while sword fights and poker playing dogs are presently more cartoonish. I particularly like how the theme song from the movie permeates the city whenever it is played.
Verdict:
Buy! Misfit City #1 is simply put a fun read. There is no way that you cannot read this book and not put it down without a smile on your face. By the end of the first issue we know not only the major players but also their personalities. The end of the issue sets up the next perfectly with answering enough questions to keep the reader interested while setting the stage for the beginning of the adventure.
