Review: Double Jumpers – Vol. 1 (TPB)
I’ve actually read the first and third issue of this series already and so I was excited to get the trade from Danger Zone (an imprint of Action Lab) for an early review. This is one of their first major trades and I have to say that if like me you either spaced on the individual issues or just completely missed out on the series then you should give it a second look with the trade of the first volume; especially if you’re an old school or new school video game lover.
The story centers on a new video game developer that has come up with virtual reality software unlike anything anyone’s seen before. The company isn’t doing so well though and after a grueling video game expo panel, the team gets back to work on testing the game in their hotel rooms. What happens next is that an energy drink switches out the minds of the video game characters with their human bodies. In a way its body swap story, but there’s nothing kiddish or moral bullshit lesson to be learned.
While the developers are trapped in their somewhat incomplete virtual reality game, their medieval programed counter parts are tearing through Vegas and enjoying the festivities… mostly of the flesh. It’s also very much about the characters relationships as the lead developer is dating the project manager and while he’s trapped in the game she cheats on him to deal with the stress of her constant comparison to her father a legendary video game developer. While in the game, two of the programmers fall in love while trying to make it out alive.
I really enjoyed the story as it spoke to my many levels of nerdom, from comics, video games and most of all… my crude humor. Literally, you could read the first ten pages and the last ten pages and you’d get your monies worth form just the comedy contained within. The rest of the story is then just icing on the cake. The good thing about the humor is that it’s not contained to one set of characters, but rather both groups of characters have hilarious bits that only their side can experience. There are a ton of great jokes that I wish I could repeat, but it would steal their thunder. The writing is very well paced throughout all four chapters and the recap that begins each chapter gives a preview of different story beats that that issue will reach, but it also does a good job of piquing the reader’s interest as they continue forward as well.
As good as the writing is, it needs a strong artist to support it and thankfully it does. Since there is the modern Vegas element and the medieval element the art design had to create two realistic settings and it did that very well. There was a ton of physical humor and a range of adult jokes as well which shows just how vast the range of talent is.
I was very glad to finish this story and I will be looking forward to buying a copy of the trade because the story is that good. There aren’t a lot of funny comic books on the market so Double Jumper was a breath of fresh air to someone like me looking for a good laugh. What this story really has going for it though is that it has a mass appeal to several different fan bases; from video game players, RPG players, comic lovers and even Larpers to an extent. With trades you definitely need to pre-order or you can still jump on to Danger Zone’s Kickstarter page and support their efforts and get the book as one of your rewards, so check it out.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Dave Dwonch
Artist: Bill Blankenship
Publisher: Danger Zone and Action Lab Entertainment
Price: $14.95
Release Date: 6/26/13
