Cover to ‘Rocko’s Modern Life’ #1. Art by Jorge Monlongo/BOOM! Studios/KaBOOM!
By Brandy Dykhuizen. Our favorite fretting wallaby makes his return–brow perennially furrowed, still somehow be-shirted in Memphis Milano–poised to take more than his fair share of life’s punches . How will this true mid-90’s Everyman be able to cope with an onslaught of modern struggles?
Ryan Ferrier and Ian McGinty maintain Rocko’s one of a kind cynical:wholesome ratio, reassuring us that you can still make it in today’s wacky world with debilitating anxiety, provided you have a loyal crew behind you. McGinty makes the anxiety drip, bug, bend and leap off the page as Rocko’s sweat, eyes and limbs react to a slew of stimuli, large to seemingly small. It’s a flailing whirlwind of worriment, with Heffer, Filburt, Spunky and our hero holding down the eye of the storm.
Interior page from ‘Rocko’s Modern Life’ #1. Art by Ian McGinty, Fred C. Stresing, and Jim Campbell/BOOM! Studios/KaBOOM!
And what better way to bring Nineties nervosa into the 21st Century than an encounter with an entitled sloth? Ferrier perfectly epitomizes modern helplessness in Rocko’s interactions with a privileged bro who can’t take no for an answer. Give a certain set an inch, and they’ll convince you they own the ruler.
But it ain’t all bad out there. As long as you stay true to yourself and do right by your friends, you can still make it in today’s world. The dog will still get fed. And while you’re at it, try not to take yourself too seriously, as Ferrier and McGinty hilariously illustrate in Rocko’s disastrous application to Kind of A-Lot-O Comics.
Every page brought a smile to my face, far surpassing what nostalgia demanded. This book is funny. And a fantastic welcome back for our friends in O-Town. I can’t wait to read the rest.
BOOM! Studios/KaBOOM!/$3.99
Written by Ryan Ferrier.
Art by Ian McGinty.
Colors by Fred C. Stresing.
Letters by Jim Campbell.
9 out of 10
