New Comics Review

CAVALCADE #1
Published by ACP COMICS

A NEW COMIC BOOK REVIEW
By Michael Wurl/The Apocolyte

I'm excited to share with you the latest comic book to grab my attention in a good way. ACP Comics just released an excellent Funny Animal/Humor series titled CAVALCADE that evokes feelings of old Dell/Disney/etc funny comics with an up-to-date something extra.

What's exciting to me is seeing this revival of the old-style Humor/Funnies type of comic book, done well by ACP. In a previous post, I reviewed their latest horror/sci-fi/mystery anthology title FORBIDDEN GALLERY, and you can click here for that to discover that I like ACP Comics, and that the craftmanship of these comics is of the utmost caliber, printing on the finest paper. ACP seems to understand the nostalgic, old school sensibility of having kids (or adults) actually holding and reading their comics. To that regard, it is exciting to see the newest series from ACP that's fun for ALL ages! CAVALCADE #1!

This is a comic book that kids and adults can read and enjoy. The stories are crafted very well, and much akin to the old Warner Bros. cartoons they are humorous on several levels. I've reread my copy over and over and enjoy it each time for new reasons.

I enjoyed the issue, and I am already excited to see what the next issue might hold whenever that comes out! These kinds of comics are fun to read. Pure fun. We need more comics like this.

CAVALCADE #1 has six stories/36 pages that feature some semi- familiar faces from comics history such as Bruno Bear, Hucky Duck, Tubby the Scout, Pudgy Pig, and Timmy the Timid Ghost in completely new adventures, and the new characters of youngsters Hollis and Hildy and their madcap Uncle Waldo Cavalcade. There's a lot to enjoy here.

The creative artists involved, all producing excellent work, include these individuals: William Mull, Dærick Gröss Sr, Ed DeVore, Aaron Hazouri, Andy MacPhee, Reno Maniquis, Dan Johnson, Tom Ziuko, Kevin J. Frear, Alan Rowlands, Roger McKenzie, Dan Day, Mike Montgomery, Jeff Austin, Scott Rosema, Matt Webb, and Tom Orzechowski. That's a lot of really talented people right there.

The issue starts with a great wrap-around cover featuring the comics main cast by artist Aaron Hazouri.

There are six great stories to read. I'll share a couple of my favorites here and let you discover the rest when you order your copy.

ACP Comics publisher William Mull is the creative driving engine behind ACP. Not only does he revive some wonderful old, mostly-forgotten and languishing Funny Animal characters here by blowing off the years of dust, and giving them brand new adventures in living color, but with TIMMY The Timid Ghost he manages to revamp the character in such a way as to make it more than it ever was in the past. In the past Timmy was perhaps just another 'Casper' knockoff wannabe, and looked like a sheet with eyes (and pointy hair!) and a T on his chest. In a stroke of genius, Mull transformed the (IMO)ugly and boring character into something completely new. Mull's masterfully inventive story and Reno Maniquis' fantastic artwork really help make CAVALCADE #1 more than just another Funny Animal comic. This ingenious new version of TIMMY was so well-done creatively, I hope they consider giving TIMMY a comic series of his own. Very cool story/art/colors. Three thumbs up!

Writer Ed DeVore and artist Aaron Hazouri collaborated on two really excellent stories. The first one is Bruno Bear, and we witness as his 'buddies' attempt to spoil his birthday and his new job! Bruno somehow manages to not only survive, but the tables always seem to turn in his favor. The story and art capture the essence of some of the best of the Golden Age Funny Animal style comics. Bravo!

That's just a taste. There are six fun stories here. The stories, the artwork, the colors, and the overall production quality of this comic book is fantastic!

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My final verdict on CAVALCADE #1 is:

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.