Planet Gigantic #3 balances action, monsters & more for all ages

Planet Gigantic is a four issue mini-series from Action Lab Entertainment.  It’s the story of Valentina and Yuri, siblings who were exploring space with their mother.  The two have crashed landed on a strange planet and are meeting all manner of strange creatures and people they should, or shouldn’t trust.   In the latest issue Yuri is separated from his sister and in the den of a giant creature who they thought was bad, but just might be good.  Meanwhile Valentina and Lyana are locked in combat with a massive centipede.  If that seems like a lot to fit into a comic remind yourself that this is an all age comic that anyone can read and it’s all the more amazing.

The art in Planet Gigantic reminds us at times of Calvin & Hobbes. It’s in the eyes, sometimes they’re all white with no pupils and their hair sometimes has that cowlick.  Just like that classic comic strip Planet Gigantic is something that anyone can enjoy.

There are also a couple great lessons that children can learn.  Yuri is trying to communicate with Ignatius a giant robot/monster that they fought in the first issue.  He discovers that he’s deaf and the two are just about to bond and talk about family when the big baddies on the planet bust down the wall.

Meanwhile Valentina and Lyana are battling the centipede.  They come up with a plan to defeat the centipede and help Yuri, who they’ve discovered is in trouble.  Eventually they break into where Yuri was working with Ignatius only to find a video message from someone claiming to be their mother.

The issue also features a standalone story featuring Lyana the Seeker.  It’s called Ghosts in the Darkness and is a spooky ghost story that will easily entertain children.

What is great about the entire comic, Planet Gigantic is how much fun it is.   The pacing is quick and every panel does something to move the comic forward.  Plus there is lots of action, something that is usually lacking from a good all age comic book.

Young readers will also enjoy lots of great takeaways from the book including teamwork, risk and reward, determination, trust, friendship, family and knowing when you have to do something by yourself.  It certainly helps that one of the main characters is a girl that kicks butt and leads.  Many of my mom blogger friends have said “where are the girl characters in comic books”?

This is one of them, but it’s not a girl comic per se, not that there’s anything wrong with that.  It’s a great all age comic book that has a strong teen girl in one of the lead roles.  It also has lots of monsters, action and explosions.