I’ve never read this comic before issue 21, and I am kicking myself for making such an oversight.  I had a blast with this book.  Sure, when dinosaurs are involved with anything, I will be there with a wicked grin and outstretched money in hand waiting to surrender my dollars.  But as comics go, this one does what a good comic should: Super Dinosaur entertains. Derek pals around with his talking, cybernetically-enhanced dinosaur pal.  Their foes, the Dino-men, have a certain elixir that will bring Derek’s mom back to health.  The only problem is that the Dino-men are meanies, and they have something called a Mega-Raptor.

Derek and Super Dinosaur sneak in and stealth their way around the bad guys lair.  In doing so, Derek gets the formula he needs for his mom, but he also attracts the Dino-Men’s attention.  They’re not happy.

Using teleportation technology called Floor Doors, Derek escapes.  But that escape is at a big cost.

When I was a kid, I enjoyed two great shows called Dinosaucers and Dino-Riders.  Super Dinosaur fires up my nostalgia for those childhood sauropod related adventures.   Kirkman does a great job of keeping the action fast and fun.  His menagerie of heroes and villains would make for a great Saturday morning cartoon.  Or action figures.   I’m just worried that there are too many villains.  I hope they don’t get underutilized because some looked pretty great.

The technology infused Super Dinosaur has some great wit, some neat weapons, and a whole lot of teeth.  I’m also assuming his visual acuity is based on movement; otherwise, those people on Isla Nublar had it all wrong.

Jason Howard’s pencils are just the perfect blend of cartoonish and monstrous.  His depiction of Dereck and the lad’s gizmos was almost as cool as the look of the small armed tyrannosaurus rex that uses a joystick to control his larger, robotic arms.

This book is fun.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Jason Howard Publisher: Image/Skybound Entertainment Price: $2.99 Release Date: 1/29/14