I confess I have a soft spot for ol' Mighty Mouse; Iused to watch the cartoons on television when I was young. Dynamite Comics haspublished a new comics series featuring Mighty Mouse, and writer Sholly Fischand artist Igor Lima have re-imagined the character and setting. Middle-schoolerJoey endures bullying but won't complain to any adults for fear of worsereprisals by the bullies. The only child of a single mother, he spends much timealone in their apartment, where he watches his favorite classic cartoon series,Mighty Mouse. Joey sits and draws his own adventures as Mighty Mouse'spartner, dealing with the bullies and getting justice while he watches thecartoons. In the middle of an episode, Mighty Mousecomesout of the television into Joey's livingroom. The mouse-sized superhero responds to cries for help, but Joey, who runsafter him, tells Mighty Mouse how things work in our world. When they see aMighty Mouse cartoon on a television in a store window, they realize that MightyMouse is no longer in the cartoons. They will have to find a way to return himto Mouseville, which is a pretty tall order for an eleven-year-old boy and aliving cartoon. Fisch stays true to Mighty Mouse's heroic nature even as he hasfun with the premise of the hero-out-of-place. Lima keeps the cartoon mouse'sbright and colorful appearance while making Joey's world look realistic. His artstyle 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 decideto stand up to bullies by showing their willingness to fight might not go overso well in schools that are trying to stop violence. Even though Mighty Mouseis otherwise a great elementary-grade comic series, the art and violencemake it a better fit for middle-school age readers up through nostalgicadults.-VOYA
