I knew it was too good to last. Any time something gets brought back from your childhood, it rarely goes well. There's something ineffable (can not be effed?) in nostalgia. I've watched Big Trouble in Little China so many times I could probably run through the movie line for line. I love it. I don't care if it's cheesy or low-budget. To me it was a breakthrough in story telling (yeah it was). It was the first time I saw a hero who wasn't super amazing. I had a hero I could identify with. When I was younger I was not the fastest, strongest or (because I hung out with kids older than me) the smartest (hopefully my ranking in these three fields has improved). But I had heart like Jack Burton. I could be the guy pushing the adventure forward while my friends were more skilled than me. He was a true hero just not very good, unlike the numerous anti-heroes that are becoming oh so popular these days.
I was worried when they announced they were bringing it back as a comic. The artwork took a couple of issues to get used to. Then my fear subsided, because I actually found myself enjoying it. The story followed on well. It gave some outrageous twists that could easily have been the second film. issue 8 saw a downturn in quality though and this issue (#9) lowers the bar further.
The artwork is sparse. It's already a sparse style but this issue feels bare. Some panels are drawn without backdrops and the backgrounds that are there are bare and uninteresting. There's one new character that just doesn't blend well into the story.
The writing has also taken a plummet. Way too many potty jokes and kiddie humor. The characters don't feel like adults any more. Having Lo Pan act childish once is funny, to repeatedly do it makes him stupid. There doesn't feel like any layering of things to come or building the mythology.
This issue completely missed the mark for me and I've been forgiving because I'm a super fan.
Score: 1/5
Big Trouble in Little China #9 Writer: Eric Powell and John Carpenter Artist: Brian Churilla Colorist: Lisa Moore Publisher: Boom! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/11/15 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital