I confess I have a soft spot for ol' Mighty Mouse; I used to watch the cartoons on television when I was young. Dynamite Comics has published a new comics series featuring Mighty Mouse, and writer Sholly Fisch and artist Igor Lima have re-imagined the character and setting. Middle-schooler Joey endures bullying but won't complain to any adults for fear of worse reprisals by the bullies. The only child of a single mother, he spends much time alone in their apartment, where he watches his favorite classic cartoon series, Mighty Mouse. Joey sits and draws his own adventures as Mighty Mouse's partner, dealing with the bullies and getting justice while he watches the cartoons. In the middle of an episode, Mighty Mouse comes
out of the television into Joey's living room. The mouse-sized superhero responds to cries for help, but Joey, who runs after him, tells Mighty Mouse how things work in our world. When they see a Mighty Mouse cartoon on a television in a store window, they realize that Mighty Mouse is no longer in the cartoons. They will have to find a way to return him to Mouseville, which is a pretty tall order for an eleven-year-old boy and a living cartoon. Fisch stays true to Mighty Mouse's heroic nature even as he has fun with the premise of the hero-out-of-place. Lima keeps the cartoon mouse's bright and colorful appearance while making Joey's world look realistic. His art style resembles that of a comic book for older readers rather than for young, school-aged readers. Moreover, the idea that Joey and his friends would decide to stand up to bullies by showing their willingness to fight might not go over so well in schools that are trying to stop violence. Even though Mighty Mouse is otherwise a great elementary-grade comic series, the art and violence make it a better fit for middle-school age readers up through nostalgic adults.
-VOYA
