Adventure Time: Ice King TPB
BOOM Studios
Created by: Pendleton Ward
Story by: Emily Partridge
Written by: Pranas Naujokaitis
Art by: Natalie Andrewson
Simon… erm… The Ice King is oh-so-cool in this pun-filled trade about love, loss, and being yourself. Emily Partridge was able to sweep me into a land of candy and chaos, and by the time the Ice King created a flyer in 4 shades of blue, I was hooked.
Gunter has been penguin-napped but by whom and why?!? While searching for his loyal companion, the Ice King explores his ability to fit in and loses more than Gunter along the way.
I fell in love with the Ice King throughout this volume, which I was able to share with my mini-geeks (kids). As an Adventure Time noob, I was skeptical but quickly won over within the first dozen pages. Witty references to a variety of adult concerns leave plenty to enjoy while maintaining suspense and value.
My only beef was with the actual text on the page. The aesthetic of the font/writing works well with the rest of the art of Natalie Andrewson. However, it is at the expense of readability. Zooming was required many times, which broke the flow of the story.
Ultimately, the story prevailed, and just like Shakespeare, readability improved the more I read. I would recommend this trade to anyone that enjoys more story and quirk than gore. Don’t read it if you are waiting for a shock factor.
This light-hearted adventure series has found a couple of new readers!