I’m not going to say that Psycho Bonkers is perfect, but it gets more right than wrong. Sure it’s info dumpy and the bouncing back and forth between the past and the present really only exists for surprises in the story, but in the end it all works really well together and that should be rewarded rather than punished. This third issue reveals a lot of what happened in the past and finally spells out what’s wrong with Fuel, Shine’s fathers’ bonk racer. This is revealed on the heels of the revelation that Shine’s Grandpappy isn’t in fact dead. He’s there to rescue Shine and he’s brought her racer Shiza and robot Gabbo. I won’t say what the big reveal of the issue is because that’s honestly the entire point of reading this issue. It’s a decent sequence and makes sense to the story and really the world of competitive sports.
Vince Hernandez switches up his style in this issue. Previously we’ve stayed with either the past storyline for a bit while Shine narrates or we’ve been in the present. With Psycho Bonkers #3 he finds a steady pace of switching back and forth. It actually works quite well for both storylines and I have to kind of wonder why he didn’t do it sooner. Looking back at the previous issue I think it could have helped the story more. Regardless, it works here and keeps the story moving and paced very well.
The art continues to be my favorite aspect of this story. Adam Archer’s art crafts a world that feels like a Saturday morning cartoon, back when cartoons always felt like the future and that the future would in fact be bright and not dystopian. I especially enjoy the visuals on Shiza’s screen which add a bit of humor and story information.
The art needs the coloring though and colorist Federico Blee is the perfect fit. Blee keeps the world looking bright and colorful and more importantly… inviting. This is a world you want to visit and experience. This is a future that looks fun, even if it has its tragic moments.
If you had asked me before this series released if I was going to really enjoy it and follow it to the end I probably would have said, maybe, maybe not. Instead I’ve managed to enjoy it all and while I don’t think the story will completely wrap by the next issue and instead bleed into the next volume, I’m still looking forward to finishing it. It’s been a fun ride so far and frankly more comics should be fun to read.
Score: 4/5
Psycho Bonkers #3 (of 4) Writer: Vince Hernandez Artist: Adam Archer Colorist: Federico Blee Publisher: Aspen Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 7/29/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital