While I was walking around New York Comic Con meeting people and doing interviews I was also on the hunt for new indie creators and series. One such creator was Ceri Stromberg who had a table set up with three titles for sale. I picked up BobWars and Corrsolla Robot to check out so check back for the second review as we dive into BobWars. BobWars is interesting. It’s interesting because I was never really sure if it was trying to be dramedy or not. There are comedic and light-hearted moments, but then there’s some really intense real world shit that you’re hit with in the third act of the story. The thing is when it’s goofy and funny it’s really goofy and funny and when it’s dark and dramatic it’s just that. The two tones never overlap which is kind of odd towards the end because dramedies have a balance of both, but here the two had a division.
The issue itself kicks off with a raccoon being chased by a bear over food. The forest has been depleted of resources so the animals fight over what the humans bring into the woods. The two end up going over the side of a cliff and landing on a gathering of other animals just below. Just before this a moose has been prepping our gathering of animals for their mission… to save the forest. Suddenly though they’re all mutated into anthropomorphic animals. The cheeky moose has used some toxic waste to change the group and now the raccoon and bear find themselves apart of the mission.
What I liked about the story was the fact that the animals are clueless. Even though they can talk and can now walk around and wear clothes, they really have no idea how the real world works. Even figuring out their names is a big deal for them and was honest storytelling. They’re also very ignorant about humans which, you guessed it, is when the story gets dark. There is nothing uber violent, just grim and kind of jacked up on an emotional level. It did give depth to the characters, but man did it hit hard.
Stromberg has a great style and she’s able to illustrate a lot of movement and make it look natural. It’s animated in that sense and frankly something I see a lot of other illustrators struggle with. The character designs were okay. The issue is actually in black & white which makes it hard to tell who is who half the time because several of the characters look similar. When you see them apart from each other it’s easier to tell who’s who, but they’re all bunched together in a group more often than not.
I’m honestly curious about this story. I’m not in love with it as the concept it a bit average, but if it continues this mixture of dark and light then it could actually become something different and unique. The story struggles in that regard and the characters definitely need to be fleshed out more, but overall it’s an interesting world.
Score: 3/5
Writer/Artist/Creator: Ceri Stromberg Price: $5.00 – Print, $2.99 Digital Website