This August 16 review by Eric Henderson of Geek Watch (Detroit News) seems to confirm that Inspector Gadget: Gadget on the Orient Express will not be delayed until December. Here's the very first thing Henderson writes in his brief review:
"Viper is releasing a couple licensed kid titles this week, “Inspector Gadget” and “Johnny Test.”
So there you have it. Issue 1 of Inspector Gadget's comic book is getting released this week. While the delay didn't turn out to be as long-lasting
as feared, I still think Viper could have made some kind of announcement regarding the fact that one of their books were a month-and-a-half behind schedule. But at least it is out.
I'll try to get hold of the book and review it myself as soon as possible - but for now, I'll point you to
Eric Henderson's review, which seems mostly enthusiastic about
Gadget:
"I was a big “Inspector Gadget” fan as a kid, (...) so it was a treat to read that. (...)
"The book flows pretty well like an “IG” episode, and I could still hear the original voices in my head as I read."
Henderson does point out one drawback, which I agree with to an extent:
"The only place that the book fell short was in the art. The characters are recognizable, but Penny’s face is a bit off, and Gadget’s face looks almost unrecognizable in a few spots. It also appears the pages were drawn for a physically larger product, so sequences feel cramped in the current format somewhere between standard comic and digest. Odd shadow work in the coloring doesn’t help."
I've felt much the same way about José Cobá's artwork, I must admit, while reading the 15
preview pages. Henderson's comments on Gadget and Penny's faces are dead-on; and I'll try to elaborate on this in my own, future review. Still, I think Cobá's shadow work can be defended, as that style of shadowing - or close to it, anyway - was used extensively in the original TV show. (Of course, the book's shrunk format perhaps being too small for this kind of shadowing is another matter.)
Anyhow... until next time, be on the lookout for THIS in comic shops - and please tell us in the comments when you do find the book in a shop, just to confirm once and for all that it truly
is released!
EDIT: The book is not out in stores this week. It will be available for online ordering as of this weekend, but won't hit the store shelves until August 31. Check my
latest post on the subject.
