I did a spotlight on the independent superhero series, Honor Brigade, in December because all four of my kids really enjoyed it.
So they were happy to see a new comic featuring ToyBoy, their favorite character from the series. To test if they’d like it, I left Toy Boy What Happens in Vegas on the kitchen table. Three of the four kids picked it up and read it. My youngest son got so absorbed that he took forever to eat breakfast and almost missed the school bus.
Which is why it’s today’s spotlight.
Summary:
Toy Boy’s crusade against super villains is interrupted by nefarious figures from his past who want him to steal something in Vegas. Complicating matters is a femme fatale who may or may not be a friend to our hero.
What Kids Will Like About It:
Toy Boy wisecracks his way through this book, something my kids really like, especially when it’s combined with a lot of well-rendered action sequences. They also loved the clever plot twist that sent Toy Boy to Vegas in the first place. One of my youngest son’s favorite movies is Entrapment and he said this reminded him of that. He said his favorite panel was the next-to-last one but that’s a spoiler so I won’t give it away.
What Parents Will Like About It:
It’s a caper story and it’s also one of those all-ages stories that works as well with adults as kids. There’s a lot of humor in Toy Boy’s being sued but there’s also plenty of depth in the character. He was originally a mercenary for hire (hence the nefarious figures from his past) who’s trying to make up for his misdeeds. In essence, his story is one of salvation, albeit in a garish costume.
Best Panel:
There’s a lot of excellent art to choose from from I do love the preview page that’s up on the Toy Boy website, especially the facial expression on the last panel.
About the Creator:
When I talked to Tom Stillwell, the writer, he told me he was leery about adding a little romance in the story but my son and I agree it worked well.
And I have to make a plea for more work from artist Jethro Morales, a Filipino native. A selection of his work can be found here. This is his first published comic.
