Tweet
Published by: Oni Press
Released on: Feb. 26, 2014
Writer: Wook Jin Clark
Artist: Wook Jin Clark
Cover: Wook Jin Clark
Purchase at Amazon
Kindle version
A group of good guys made up a team of heroes who operated a robot giant defender for the city of Atlanta against the giant evils that plagued their fair land. That was back in 1984 and the team disbanded. For two of the members, Adam and April, a rift exists between them concerning someone named Sam. April's hatred of Adam is reluctantly put aside in order to fight some evil doers, but that's only temporary.
Evan, the younger brother to April, inadvertently finds her sequencer, a device used to harness the power of the robot and control part of it. Jimbo, an old nemesis of the gang, has returned from defeat long ago and seeks vengeance. He catches wind of Evan and the sequencer and he sends out a team to find the two, honing in on him at his school. A fast-paced pursuit begins as Evan is hunted down by the KKK…that's right…the Ku Klux Klan. Seems Jimbo is a racist prick and his powers are hateful. Evan is rescued by Adam and Jay, and they quickly teach Evan what the sequencer can do. Evan joins the others in the battle, as they fight their way through bad guy after bad guy to the big bad guy and his White Power. Sounds like a video game and the big battle kind of plays out like one.
This is a pretty straight forward hero versus villain book, with some drama thrown in there between a few characters to give the story some needed depth. A really quick read even at 187 pages, Megogogo is action-packed with a lot of 2-page spreads, hence the quicker reading. Dialogue runs smooth, although at times is pretty foolish, but the book never takes itself too seriously. There's even a stab or two within the pages at itself, such as one instance where someone makes fun of the ridiculousness regarding modifications made to the robot. When the newly modified robot is revealed, the reader's reaction may change once the self-ridicule becomes evident.
Art wise, the black-and-white illustrations are effective in their cartoonish looks, never being too cluttered to make out what's going on. Wook Jim Clark draws a lot of busy 2-page spreads that really showcase his talents as an illustrator as well as his creativity for panel layouts. There's a scene where there is a foot chase into a building and up to the roof, shown like the building was cut in half so the inside can be viewed. It's kind of reminiscent of those old Family Circus Sunday comic strips where the kids walk all over the house followed by the “Not Me†ghost. Kind of. Clark makes the book fun with his drawing style, even if the script isn't quite up to snuff. But it is a young adult's book so that has to be taken into consideration as well. Extras at the end of the book include a cast page and some sketches along with story boards. There's a little after -the-end joke thrown in there, much like at the end of credits for those who stick them out.
This isn't a book for the crowd looking for the bizarre, the gritty, or the off-center title, but if you're looking for light-fare and a fun read, Megagogo should fill the order. And there are more to come, as this was announced as an ongoing series.
