For fans of the popular Cartoon Hangover web series 'Bravest Warriors' the Kaboom! published comic is required reading. With only one season so far of 7-minute long episodes and a handful of shorts, the Pendalton Ward created universe could use all of the extra expansion it can get. Fortunately, the comic series is a charming addition to the tiny canon. This month, the Warrior's sleep is interrupted by a surprise landing of a Battle Chess arena on their front lawn, with Beth and Chris recruited to participate in the tournament. It's a cute little story that mimics the pacing and tone of the shorts quite well, a self-contained story rather than the ongoing issue-to-issue story that the comic run began on. As usual there's a short comic at the end, featuring Danny and his mindless immersion in a video game. It's not as particularly memorable as the past shorts have been, but it’s fun regardless and an always welcome feature of the book month after month.
The main story's art by Mike Holmes is great, pulling great character out of the simple designs, while Lisa Moore's colors are warm and inviting. While so many licensed comics feel like writers and artists going through the motions, or even exercising an outright ambivalence to quality, for some reason the ones based on children's cartoons have become an unlikely bastion of excellence, with the 'Adventure Time' comic landing an Eisner win. While 'Bravest Warriors' may not be an unbelievable read, it's well written and illustrated with charisma to spare, and certainly a force for good on the comic shelf.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Joey Comeau Artist: Mike Holmes Publisher: Boom and KaBoom Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/18/13