Retro Review: The Adventures of Auroraman Season 1

The Adventures of Auroraman: Season 1

Writers: Jeff Burton, Andrew Lorenz
Artists: Justin Shauf, Jason Sylvestre, Colin Work
Colourists: Donovan Yaciuk, Troy Groff
Letterers: Jeff Burton, Rod Salm
Editor: Martin Boruta
Publisher: MiniJeff Productions

Review by Josh Rose

Canada Day is here and what better comic to read than the adventures of the Canadian hero, the Superpower of Saskatchewan, Auroraman. The Adventures of Auroraman: Season 1 collects the first 6 mini issues featuring Auroraman in one volume. From getting his cosmic staff, to fighting were-cows, and stopping Nazi’s from ruining the holidays, Auroraman does it all.

Jeff Burton has a lot of great story ideas for his character. Often teaming up with local communities to help fund the cost of creating these comics, Burton has Auroraman save the day whether it’s Halloween or even local festivals like Hogfest in Englefeld. I mean, who else would have the idea to make a Nazi hypnotize pigs to run amok through town? Burton also has a habit of ending his stories on a great cliffhanger. What’s going to happen next with the undead moose? Who is the Governor General? (A new hero, not Julie Payette.) What the hell is a were-cow?

For those mini-issues where there isn’t a cliffhanger, Burton ends the story rather abruptly. I think Burton’s stories would benefit with a little more development of the characters, and taking time to wrap everything up. In the Hogfest Special, the story ends right after Auroraman rounds up the pigs. He doesn’t end up stopping the guy who sent them off in the first place. Or he knocks the Nazi out, his henchmen run away, and Auroraman stands there with one last quip to end the Christmas Special. Auroraman has an obstacle to overcome, but it’s not much of a challenge, and it doesn’t change the character in any way.

I’m not a big fan of the art in some of this. Justin Shauf’s pencils and inks, along with Donovan Yaciuk’s colours, are the best part of this book in my humble opinion. It’s striking, eye catching and provides a neat panel layout. The artist on the Hogfest Special (whose name I could not find) I could not get behind. It looks like a high resolution 8-bit figure done in Microsoft Paint. And, the quality of detail consistently goes down as the story goes on.

In previous reviews I have talked about Colin Work’s art and Burton’s lettering. They have come a long way since they released these mini issues. Burton’s lettering doesn’t distract you, and Work’s panel layout’s have also gotten better. If he thinks of panels like camera angles and isn’t afraid to utilize the page and develop the shots, he can have some great artwork.

The Verdict: Check it out.

Did you feel you missed something from reading previous Auroraman comics? The Adventures of Auroraman: Season 1 will catch you up in no time! I struggle with the art and lettering, but I think there’s something here worth checking out and putting some money towards.

The Adventures of Auroraman: Season 1 is available to download on Comixology