Boom Studios has really impressed me over the years. And I remain a loyal reader now, because of their large number of Cartoon Network inspired comics. Regular Show #5 throws you right into the mix of yet another one of Mordecai and Rigby’s shenanigans. This is a great jumping on point for new readers to the series because it doesn’t expect anything from you. You don’t need any prior knowledge of the characters. You also don’t need any prior knowledge of the events that led up to the current status of these troublemakers. All you need to do is sit back and have a good laugh. That’s really it. It’s nice to be able to just pick up any issue of this book so far and be able to become a loyal fan almost immediately. Plus, with the awesome creative team of K.C. Green and Allison Strejlau you won’t be disappointed. Mordecai needs a haircut. He’s got a big date coming up with Margaret, so he enlists the help of an evil inventor and his invention, Haircutbot. Turns out this thing has the ability to give you whatever haircut you need at the time, regardless of what kind of haircut you think you need. Long story short, the machine gives Mordecai the kind of cut that no one needs. But when the guys try to leave, the inventor decides that if they can’t accept the haircut that they’ve been given, they don’t deserve the hair that’s on their head. That’s when things really get crazy.
Acclaimed cartoonist K.C. Green (Gunshow) offers up a story that makes you feel like you are reading an episode of the show. Yes, I said reading. I’m already a big fan of the show, so I felt like the characters had been given the right voice. That’s important. So basically I’m saying that if you like the show, you’ll like this issue. I feel like I’ve typed the word “show” a lot, but I really couldn’t think of anything else to put in there considering that I’m talking a bout a comic book based on a television show. There it is again.
Allison Strejlau’s art really gives this issue a great look. I’m not going to pretend that it didn’t feel like someone had slipped something into my drink before I gave it a read, but let’s just say that it was a little trippy. Luckily that works for the situations that these characters get into. They aren’t the most conservative adventures in the world. There is no normal. There is no status quo with these guys. Why should the art be boring and mainstream if the characters can’t even have the decency to stay out of trouble for more than five minutes at a time?
I like this series so far. I especially liked this issue. I’ll also mention that it has a great backup story by Brandon Snider and Wook Jin Clark that is on par with the main one. Two stories are almost always better than one, especially in this case. I have to admit that I feel more comfortable and happy picking up an issue of this series than I am when I pick up something mainstream and that almost always falls flat at the end. There is nothing flat here. Therefore, Boom Studios gets my money.
Score: 4/5
Writer: K.C. Green Artist: Allison Strejlau Publisher: Boom Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/6/13