Chibi-Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chebis!
Jul 3, 2021 9:25:58 GMT -5
shaxper and wildfire2099 like this
Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 3, 2021 9:25:58 GMT -5
Chibi-Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis
By Julie and Stan Sakai
By Julie and Stan Sakai
Summary: Chibi-Usagi and his pals Chibi-Tomoe and Chibi-Gen rescue a Dogu village from the evil King Fire Salamander!
Plot: Now, personally I'm not the biggest fan of chibi books as I tend to like more detailed art but if paired with a story with some substance instead of just cutesy gags these kinds of books can be fun and the JUST Sakai team( as they Julie and Stan label themselves here) delivers just that. While on the cute side and with stakes much lower than your average Usagi book it still retains the kind of energy, sense of exploration and the same cultural insights that make for a good Usagi book so it really lives up to the all ages banner by having layers of story that can be enjoyed by readers both young and old. Though not super threatening I really liked the idea of the villain being a fire salamander...who actually breathed fire! While a fire breathing character wouldn't fly in the regular Usagi book it was a fun visual here, giving the villain a slight Godzilla feel to him and that's never a bad thing! Also included here in this awesome book was the 2020 Free Comic Book day issue of Usagi which was titled "Attack of the Teenie Titans" which while I remembered being announced I completely missed due to covid last year. Unlike the main story, which was in the chibi style from start to finish, this second feature had the "normal" Usagi visit the chibi world after a battle with a tengu which was really fun. The contrast between the two art styles was a great look and the way the "real" Usagi scared away the Chibi-Jei really made me smile. So all and all this was a fantastic book that any Usagi fan should pick up post haste!
On a slightly different topic I really love just the title itself! I may be reading it wrong, but the way the subtitle plays off of the phrase "Heebie Jeebies" which makes me think that I may have been pronouncing the word chibi incorrectly my entire life. I've always pronounced chibi with the "i" sound being similar to bib, but the play on heebie jeebies makes me think chibi should sound like that same double "e" sound. Does anyone know which is the correct way to say it?
Art: Julie and Stan give themselves equal billing here and don't mention who did what so it's hard to single either out for praise so I suppose all one can say is that JUST really did a fantastic job putting this together. On the color front, as much as I like and respect the work Rhonda has been putting in on the Color Classic line I feel like the more pastel choices Emi Fuji choose for this book really fit Usagi's world better. It has an almost water colored look that I really enjoy and I'd love to see more of that in the traditional Usagi books.
Grade:10/10
Plot: Now, personally I'm not the biggest fan of chibi books as I tend to like more detailed art but if paired with a story with some substance instead of just cutesy gags these kinds of books can be fun and the JUST Sakai team( as they Julie and Stan label themselves here) delivers just that. While on the cute side and with stakes much lower than your average Usagi book it still retains the kind of energy, sense of exploration and the same cultural insights that make for a good Usagi book so it really lives up to the all ages banner by having layers of story that can be enjoyed by readers both young and old. Though not super threatening I really liked the idea of the villain being a fire salamander...who actually breathed fire! While a fire breathing character wouldn't fly in the regular Usagi book it was a fun visual here, giving the villain a slight Godzilla feel to him and that's never a bad thing! Also included here in this awesome book was the 2020 Free Comic Book day issue of Usagi which was titled "Attack of the Teenie Titans" which while I remembered being announced I completely missed due to covid last year. Unlike the main story, which was in the chibi style from start to finish, this second feature had the "normal" Usagi visit the chibi world after a battle with a tengu which was really fun. The contrast between the two art styles was a great look and the way the "real" Usagi scared away the Chibi-Jei really made me smile. So all and all this was a fantastic book that any Usagi fan should pick up post haste!
On a slightly different topic I really love just the title itself! I may be reading it wrong, but the way the subtitle plays off of the phrase "Heebie Jeebies" which makes me think that I may have been pronouncing the word chibi incorrectly my entire life. I've always pronounced chibi with the "i" sound being similar to bib, but the play on heebie jeebies makes me think chibi should sound like that same double "e" sound. Does anyone know which is the correct way to say it?
Art: Julie and Stan give themselves equal billing here and don't mention who did what so it's hard to single either out for praise so I suppose all one can say is that JUST really did a fantastic job putting this together. On the color front, as much as I like and respect the work Rhonda has been putting in on the Color Classic line I feel like the more pastel choices Emi Fuji choose for this book really fit Usagi's world better. It has an almost water colored look that I really enjoy and I'd love to see more of that in the traditional Usagi books.
Grade:10/10
