Monty #1 Review

Monty #1 Review
Writer: Bob Frantz
Artists: Jean Franco
Colorists:  Jean Franco
Inker: Jean Franco
Letterer: Jean Franco
Publisher: Action Lab Comics

I have a four year old nephew; I think he would really enjoy Monty #1. Monty, is an all-ages book about a dinosaur searching for a friend.

The first thing I noticed about Monty was the colors of Jean Franco. Monty is a bright book where the characters really pop off the page.

The cartooning skills of Franco’s art work are also really sharp here. The art actually reminds me of the Cartoon Network shows like ‘Dexter’s laboratory’ or ‘Johnny Bravo’. The cartooning looks simple but is effective at telling the story.

The narrative style of Monty fits for an all-ages book. It begins with him breaking the fourth wall and addressing the reader. Now, this could be annoying if it wasn’t done well or overused. I think Bob had a good grasp on this and didn’t abuse this storytelling method. As the story progresses Monty stops breaking the forth wall and begins to engage characters in the story.

On the outside Monty would appear to be just a Dinosaur book. I would argue its more than that. It is the story of Otherfication for kids. That is to say, someone on the outside of a social group and the story pushes through that idea by having the dinosaur try to fit in.

Verdict:
BUY!! Much like ‘Zootopia’, Monty is a kid’s story with enough meat on its bones that adults will enjoy it as well. If you enjoy movies like that, this comic is right up your alley.