{"id":8082,"date":"2012-03-11T08:00:14","date_gmt":"2012-03-11T08:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=8082"},"modified":"2012-03-11T14:14:37","modified_gmt":"2012-03-11T14:14:37","slug":"cartoon-network-2-in-1-ben-10-ultimate-aliengenerator-rex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2012\/03\/11\/cartoon-network-2-in-1-ben-10-ultimate-aliengenerator-rex\/","title":{"rendered":"Cartoon Network 2-in-1: Ben 10 Ultimate Alien\/Generator Rex"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Amy Wolfram<\/strong>, Jake Black<\/strong>, Scott Beatty<\/strong>, Eugene Son<\/strong>, Rob Hoegee<\/strong>, Aaron Williams<\/strong>, Jason Bischoff<\/strong>, Ethan Beavers<\/strong>, Mike Bowden<\/strong>, Min S. Ku<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-3305-1<\/p>\n

The links between kids’ animated features and comicbooks are long established and, I suspect, for young consumers, indistinguishable. After all, it’s just all-ages adventure entertainment in the end\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

DC’s Cartoon Network imprint is probably the last bastion of children’s comics and has produced some truly magical homespun material (such as Tiny Titans, Batman: Brave and the Bold <\/strong>or Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!<\/strong>) as well as stunning interpretations of such television landmarks as Scooby Doo<\/strong>, Powerpuff Girls<\/strong>, Cartoon Network Block Party <\/strong>and others.<\/p>\n

This dynamic and fast-paced parcel of thrills gathers two of contemporary kids’ most popular TV sensations in back-to-back exploits taken from monthly periodical Cartoon Network Action-Pack<\/strong> (issues # 48-51, 54, 56, 57, 59) and opens with the further adventures of a boy who could become a profusion of extraterrestrial champions\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Ben Tennyson<\/em> was a plucky kid who could become ten different alien super-heroes by activating a fantastic device called the Omnitrix<\/em>. At first the young boy clandestinely battled fantastic foes with his eccentric Grandpa Max<\/em> and obnoxious cousin Gwen<\/em> but by the time of these tales Ben is a teenager, has gained global fame and his own power-packed teen posse including reformed super bad-boy Kevin Levin<\/em> and romantic interest\/techno-ninja Julie Yamamoto<\/em>, all whilst struggling to master the far more powerful Ultimatrix<\/em> device\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

In short complete tales by Amy Wolfram, Jake Black, Scott Beatty and Eugene Son, illustrated by Ethan Beavers, Min S. Ku, Mike Cavallaro, Dan Davis & Luciano Vecchio, Ben and his hyper-charged avatars and BFFs tackle world-shaking threats and typical teen traumas beginning with ‘Fashion Victim’<\/em> wherein a sudden trend for kids to wear knock-offs of Ben’s signature jacket leads to mistakes and mayhem when short-sighted monsters and old foe Charmcaster<\/em> attack, whilst ‘Going Viral’<\/em> finds an embarrassing defeat by a dragon posted on the internet by the young hero’s biggest fan.<\/p>\n

There’s an impressive treatise on schoolyard bullying in ‘Dodge Ben!’<\/em> after which the indignities pile up when old foe Aggregor attacks during the cringe-worthy premiere of ‘Ben 10 on Ice’<\/em> and an alien journalist shares a day in the life of a galactic hero in ‘Breaking News.’<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben’s notoriety almost leads to a tragic misunderstanding in ‘Star Chaser’<\/em> and Julie gets some unwelcome paparazzi attention in ‘Tabloid Trouble’<\/em> before this scintillating selection concludes with Ben’s persistent homework hassles in ‘The Monster at the End of this Book’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The last half of the volume is dedicated to a new boy wonder struggling to be a hero in a post-apocalyptic world\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Generator Rex<\/strong> is an amnesiac lad with the ability to turn parts of his body into fantastic technological weapons as a result of a global catastrophe which seeded Earth with nanites and turned the world into a constantly mutating nightmare.<\/p>\n

The nanites randomly turn humans – and other organisms – into Exponentially Variegated Organisms or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153EVOs\u00e2\u20ac\u009d: monsters that cause even more death and destruction. Their threat is combated by the secret organisation Providence\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Rex, who can actually cure EVOs of their mutational infections, and his gun-toting, talking monkey pal Bobo<\/em> are the agency’s top operatives in battling the monsters’ attacks and hunting down the suspected cause of the initial disaster, a maniac named Van Kleiss<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The creators for these gripping yarns include Rob Hoegee, Eugene Son, Scott Beatty, Aaron Williams Jason Bischoff, Min S. Ku, Ethan Beavers & Mike Bowden.<\/p>\n

The adventure begins in the EVO homeland of Abysus with ‘Distraction!’<\/em> as the boy and Bobo raid Van Kleiss’ castle on a seeming fool’s errand before tackling a forgotten enemy from the past in the epic length ‘Extra Baggage’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

‘Heart of Stone’<\/em> introduces a potential rival to Van Kleiss’ malign dominance in the sultry serpentines shape of Dr. Eden Williams<\/em>, after which there’s a beguiling change of pace with the twisted love story ‘A Blank Canvas’<\/em>.<\/p>\n

‘The Unforgiving Minute’<\/em> poses an impossible quandary for Rex and a group of survivors as yet uncontaminated by the omnipresent nanite contagion whilst ‘Only a Game’<\/em> finds the entire horror-hunting team playing spy at a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Warworld of Warlocks\u00e2\u20ac\u009d computer convention before the action spectacularly climaxes when the impossible happens and Rex is apparently infected by nanites in ‘Freak Out’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Despite being aimed at TV kids, these mini-sagas are wonderful old-fashioned comics tales that no self-respecting fun-fan should miss, but if you still need further cajoling perhaps learning that both shows were devised by \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Man of Action\u00e2\u20ac\u009d might further persuade you.<\/p>\n

Man of Action<\/em> is the working pseudonym for an entertainment-think-tank comprised of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly & Steven T. Seagle and whilst Ben 10<\/strong> bears a striking – but surely superficial – similarity to two beloved and quirky 1960s DC second-string strips – Dial \u00e2\u20ac\u0153H\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for Hero<\/em> and Ultra, the Multi-Alien<\/em> – Generator Rex<\/strong> is actually based on Image Comic M. (Machina) Rex<\/strong>, which debuted in 1999 courtesy of Whilce Portacio & Brian Haberlin’s Avalon Studios, crafted and produced by Aaron Sowd, Kelly & Rouleau.<\/p>\n

Accessible and entertaining for a broad range of thrill-seeking readers this terrific tome is a perfect, old fashioned delight. What more do you need to know?<\/p>\n