BEN 10 COMIC BOOK vol. 1: AND THEN THERE WERE 10


By Thomas Pugsley & various (Egmont)
ISBN: 978-1-4052-4663-7

At heart we’re all kids – or at least know one – and whilst a lot of TV animation is pretty poor, every so often something really cool rises above the morass and really catches fire. Most recently that would be the sci-fi action cartoon Ben 10 – a hip, modern tale that feels eerily like all those brilliant shows you grew up with, no matter what age you are.

Comics fans will feel a special affinity with it – and the book on review here – as the concept was created by “Man of Action” (a pseudonym for the entertainment-think-tank comprised of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly and Steven T. Seagle) and bears a striking similarity to two beloved DC second-string strips from 1960s: Dial “H” for Hero and Ultra, the Multi-Alien.

This cool pocket graphic novel from Egmont recapitulates the pilot episode for younger readers, using what looks like actual animation artwork to tell the story of Ben Tennyson and his obnoxious cousin Gwen, who have both been dumped with their weird grandfather Max for the summer vacation. The kids don’t like each other, but they actively hate being dragged around the countryside in a pokey camper-van for their entire holiday.

After a particularly heated fight Ben stomps off into the woods and discovers a crashed “satellite” with a really nifty wristwatch in it. When the band permanently attaches itself to his wrist he discovers that it’s an alien device with the capability to transform him into any of ten different super-powered extraterrestrials.

The device is the Omnitrix and unknown to Ben the monstrous alien overlord Vilgax will do anything and destroy anyone in his attempts to possess it! Can Ben, even with the help of his annoying family, keep this incredible weapon from the dastardly villain? Even when Ben is a one-man outer space army?

Although the dialogue is a little stiff in places this book is tremendous fun and delivers thrills, spills and chills with a deft touch, great pictures and good instincts. If we’re going to save the comic strip for future generations this is the thoroughly wonderful type of tome that we’ll need to draw new readers and especially the kids back into our four-colour clutches.

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