With years spent reading single issues here and there, juggling storylines of dozens of titles, I decided it was time to find a better way to read comics. So, it was off to the back issue bins armed with the longest want list you’ve ever seen! Putting together series after series and reading them in their complete goodness, I was reborn as the Retro-Reader!
Publisher: Image Comics
Number of Issues: 4
First Issue: January 2005 ($2.95)
Last Issue: April 2005 ($2.95)
Writer: Mike Bullock
Artist: Jack Lawrence
Joey’s not too excited that he’s got to move now that his mom got a new job. But, to cheer him up, his grandmother bought him the Night Pride – a collection of four jungle cat plush dolls. Touted as “Protectors of the Innocent”, the Night Pride consists of Minerva (a jaguar), Venus (a tiger), Pallo (a lion) and Ares (a white tiger). But, there’s more to these plush dolls than one might initially suspect. Through a magical portal under his sheets, Joey gets sucked into the Stuffed Animal Kingdom where a war is brewing between noble and evil stuffed animals. The devious rat plushes are attempting to capture their creator’s young daughter for some malicious reason. Now, it’s up to Joey and the Night Pride to rescue her!
The Bad: N/A
The Good: This book is fun for all-ages! It calls out to the imaginative little kid in all of us.
The Verdict: I would imagine that at one point or another most kids dream or pretend that their toys come to life. Well, this series explores that fantasy with fantastically appealing art! The story’s not too advanced but when developing a concept like this, simple and straightforward is best. There are good stuffed animals and bad ones. Drop in a human so we can explore this new world and creatures through an outsider’s eyes and you’ve got a great start to a fun all-ages story! I’m sure that when I’ve got kids, this will be one of the first comics I expose them to. It’s great proof that comics can be pure, brightly colored light-hearted fun. Someone should get an animation company to make this a feature film. It’d surely be an eye-catcher and the dynamic character designs would be easily marketable!
On Ebay: Lions, Tigers and Bears | Mike Bullock | Jack Lawrence
