Review - Adventure Time: The Flip Side #1

"All I need is a quest of some sort. Anything!"

Adventure Time is crazy. If you've seen the show, you know that. You also know that it's rife with adventures and quests, both of which give Jake and Finn plenty of things to do in their free time. BOOM! Studios is offering up a new look at those adventures in Adventure Time: The Flip Side #1. The issue was written by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover, illustrated by Wook Jin Clark and lettered by Aubrey Aiese.

Finn is going through something of a withdrawal. In fact, he's quest deficient and Doctor Musclebump has diagnosed Jake to get him a quest as soon as possible. Their discovery of a secret quest posted on a quest board sends them on quite the adventure. It's an adventure that earns even the "tough quests" moniker and gets them set up as proper adventurers. The questing doesn't end there though and the issue sets up the story to continue on the adventure path.

Coover has tapped into the atmosphere of Adventure Time very well, offering up Jake and Finn in an environment where they're best: adventuring. This issue is chock full of adventures too, almost too many because it feels very jumpy from adventure to adventure. The personalities of the two main characters successfully comes through in the dialogue and makes the reader feel as if they're watching an episode of the show itself. There's a wide variety of characters on display as well, immersing the reader even more into the Land of Ooo.

Clark's illustrations feel a little strange, which is saying something considering it's Adventure Time. Finn looks a little too tall and human, something that looks very different from the style of the show (for what it's worth, Jake looks pretty similar to his show counterpart). Normally, the look of the characters wouldn't be such a sticking point, but considering the characters have already been defined elsewhere it's a little difficult to stay in the book, knowing they look somewhat different. The other inhabitants of Ooo are sufficiently creative and imaginative though, offering readers the full scope of the craziness and adventures.

Adventure Time: The Flip Side #1 is an interesting entrant into the Adventure Time universe. There's questing and zaniness, both of which really get the reader on board with the story. Coover taps into the mythos of Adventure Time in creating a fun tale, while Clark's art is illustrative, yet a little off when compared to the look of the show. Fans of the show will likely get more out of the book, but that shouldn't stop newcomers to the property from grabbing the issue and checking things out. All the ridiculousness is there that makes for an amusing read.

Adventure Time: The Flip Side #1 is in stores January 8 with interiors below.