Planet Gigantic #1 review: all ages galactic comic book fun

Planet Gigantic #1 has something for every all ages comic reader.  The main story focuses on two teenagers with special powers who crash land on a strange planet.  There is a separate story that is almost as interesting Lyana looking for a magical eye.  Both stories have female heroes, enough action to satisfy all readers and they both deal with consequences, as well as taking risks.

It’s important to note that boys, girls, anyone really should enjoy Planet Galactic.  I only mention the fact that it has strong female heroes because many people are looking for strong girls in comic books.  This is one that said crowd should look at because it’s all ages and the heroines tackle real challenges.

Yuri is Valentina’s brother and they’ve just crashed landed on a strange planet.  Their ship is on fire and if they don’t get out ASAP then they’ll die.  However, their mother is hurt, knocked unconscious and they don’t have time to help her and get out.  Valentina makes the call to get out and save their own lives.

Did their mother really perish in the explosion that happened next?  It’s a comic book, so that is anyone’s guess really.  But the mere fact that such a life and death call is addressed, much less effectively handled in an all ages comic is to be commended.

With Yuri and Valentina on the new planet they explore and run across a huge rock monster who is fighting a small army.  The two decide that they need to help the army and use their powers to quickly defeat Ignatius the Rock Beast.  Shortly after that they meet Queen Neva and quickly realize that they helped the wrong side in that fight.

The last quarter of Planet Gigantic has another story, whose art and pacing I actually liked better.  Lyana comes in riding a lion in search of a mysterious eye of the sun.  She finds the eye in a deep cave, a la Indiana Jones, but the eye of the sun is really an eye that belongs to a very large dragon.

Both stories end with our characters going in the opposite directions.  Yuri and Valentina are captured and being taken someplace while Lyana has just freed the dragon and is figuring out what to do with him.

The art in Planet Gigantic is loose, imaginative and fun.  The same goes for the words; they’re clear and in a font that doesn’t require a second look to read/understand it.

The whole book is fun.  It’s one that parents can trust any age to read or look at the pictures and it’s one that young readers will want to read.   Planet Gigantic is available digitally from Comixology and will be at your local comic book store soon.