Today’s Comic> Cartoon Network Action Pack #49

Wait, the ultimate form of the ice guy is a fire guy?

Cartoon Network Action Pack #49

(featuring Ben 10: Ultimate Alien)

DC Comics/Johnny DC (July 2010)

This is another comic that fits more than one story into one book, and this time it really suffers for it. The credits there are for the shared contributors, while the writer and artist are different for each story.

First we have Amy Wolfram on “Ben 10 On Ice”. There’s an ice show dedicated to Ben 10. That actually makes more sense than Aggregor popping up out of nowhere, fighting Ben for 2 and 1/2 pages, and just going away. Like I said, the smaller size stories hurt the comic overall. At least it has Min S. Ku on art duties, because none of the artists I’ve seen on a Ben 10 comic, including the Doom Dimension GN from Del Ray, can draw the characters so well you swear it came from the show (at least most of the time).

Sadly, Ethen Beavers proves to be no Min S. Ku while drawing “Breaking News”, the first of two Jake Black written tales. A reporter from space arrives to follow Ben around on an average day. A day that proves rather boring until a group of DNAliens attacks and kidnaps the reporter. Ben save him and his camera…man?…but the reporter takes all the credit. A rather lame story made worse by the out of continuity use of the DNAliens, soldiers of the Highbreed who are no longer evil thanks to the finale of Ben 10: Alien Force.

Black does give us a cute little story at the end, “Star Chaser”. Ku is back on the art, and if you ask me the only person who SHOULD draw a Ben 10 comic at this point. Ben thinks he’s being followed and prepares for battle, but it turns out to be an autograph-seeking little girl. At least the comic ends on a happy note.

Recommendation: Overall, this comic really did nothing for me. The only story I’d call good would be the cute story at the end, but it’s not worth the price of a full comic. Maybe if the second story had been cut out and the first story given more of a chance, I could recommend it. As it stands, read it for the final story, maybe the first one, and move on.

Tomorrow’s Comic> Doctor Who Classics Series 3 #3