There is an unbelievably large audience for young adult fiction. It is everywhere...TV, books, games...It's all over the place...Even in comic books...And I hate to admit it, but I like a lot of it. I think that I try not too, but I simply can't help myself. I like them. Not because of the subjects of the story. They are who they are. But I find in lots of this type of fiction that the values of courage, belief in one's self, and the overcoming of tremendous odds...Well, those traits kind of inspire me. The Midas Flesh has now become that to me. I have tried not to like it. I felt that it didn't know if it wanted to be a kid's adventure or an adult story. I thought that the characters were a little too cutesy. I mean one if them is a dinosaur for crying out loud. I even thought that writer Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics and Adventure Time fame was just throwing some stuff out there because he was given some creative latitude. All of these things I had going against it. But I am now five issues into the eight issue planned mini. And what I am discovering is that The Midas Flesh is actually a nice little piece of young adult fiction that is hitting all those great points that make young adult fiction so good. North's writing with the illustrations of Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb have not only won me over. I think they may have even turned me into a fan for life.
Following the story of Joey, Cooper, and Fatima, The Midas Flesh uncovers what very well may be the ultimate weapon in the universe. It is the hope of our three, that they can harness the weapon and utilize it to bring the evil Federation to its knees, thus freeing all the oppressed that are under The Federation's control, of which they are included. It's do or die for the team and here in Issue #5, questions are beginning to surface related to this weapon. And these questions are pretty damn deep ones.
This is the best issue to date and everything that makes young adult fiction so great is in #5. We have action, intrigue, betrayal, and the asking of some real serious questions. Decisions have to be made. And these are some intense decisions that cannot be reversed once they are done. I can say that at the end of this one, one decision was made that made my jaw drop. Let's just say that I will never call these characters "kids" again.
Paroline and Lamb's art has grown to me through the issues. Early on, I have thought the images to be a little too cute in the renderings. But with each passing issue, a maturity level is being established. What began as fun and games has become intense and serious. Paroline and Lamb are beginning to demonstrate that intensity, and it is well done.
With just three issues left, The Midas Flesh is building into a pretty serious young adult fiction story. It started a little bit slow, but things have picked up. Now, the baddies have the upper hand and things are looking bleak indeed. I can't wait to see how things work out.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Ryan North Artists: Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb Publisher: KaBoom/Boom Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 4/23/14