Monty the Dinosaur #1
Written by Bob Frantz
Art by Jean Franco
Reviewed by Lorna Maltman (maltmanlorna@gmail.com)
One of the first comics I ever read was my parents’ collection of Calvin and Hobbes; Monty the Dinosaur is a hit of that nostalgia.
There are three stories in this comic, the first introducing the two protagonists, Monty and Sophie. The second literally could be a comic strip in a newspaper. Franco’s colouring in this one page story makes it seem like a children’s colouring page with the colours not fitting the lines; giving both the comic and characters more personality to it. The last is a one short story of Monty and Sophie going to a party which, for me, showed the potential of this comic.
Jean Franco uses bright colours and bold lines to create his cartoonish style which fits the comic perfectly although, at times, the panels are a bit sparse for my liking.
In Frantz’ Kickstarter page for Monty he says that the comic was born out of him telling his four year old daughter Sophie these tales and writing down the best ones. This is sweet but when you read the comic this sometimes shows in the writing; whilst I found it entertaining, and I’m sure many other adults would too, there were parts, especially at the start, that felt like you were watching Blue’s Clues or you were reading a children’s picture book, indicating that this book is clearly aimed more towards younger readers and in that respect it excels in its aims.
Verdict
Wait and See. Whilst this comic is endearing and I enjoyed reading it, I feel that, much like Calvin and Hobbes, it is best read in large chunks rather than piecemeal in 19 pages every month. I would look out for it in trade though if you are interested, especially for younger comic readers, as it is a fun tale and in the next issue they are going to the moon. Dinosaurs and space? What more could you want!
