Review – Black Dynamite #1 (of 4) (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Brian Ash
Artists: Ron Wimberly & Sal Buscema
Release Date: 15th January 2014

Okay I’m not going to lie, that upon seeing the cover for this comic I immediately began to think, oh this is going to be ridiculous. Now, I will not say it was spectacular and the best piece of comic fiction I’ve read in a while, that would just be serious overkill, but it was an entertaining read. I see that it is taken from or based around a movie of the same name, and a cartoon series, which I personally have never seen. I have seen some movies with similar concepts such as “Pootie Tang,” “Austin Powers,” and “Undercover Brother.” If you like cheesy 1970s Kung-Fu movies this is definitely the book for you!

The writer, Brian Ash, does a fine job of keeping the tone just like you were watching a 1970s Kung-Fu flick, which makes it a rather fun read. The dialogue is rather simple and easy to follow, which make it a page turning read. Couple the quick read with Ron Wimberly’s ability to make the Kung-Fu action come to life on the pages and you can read through this book in no time, and by the end if like me you are actually interested in reading if not for just love the concept or character but because it’s just a plain fun read.

As long as you go into reading this comic with the idea that it is comedic entertainment then you should enjoy. It’s a quick read, and entertaining in aesthetics and story. I mean you have a Kung-Fu hero that speaks in the third person by the name of Black Dynamite, fighting “The Man” and another nemesis by the name of Too Swole. That alone should say enough right there at the entertainment value of this book. I found it rather enjoyable even going in having no clue what I was getting into and I would be fine checking out issue #2 when it comes out.