Zub Tales

The highly regarded Onion AV Club has just reviewed Samurai Jack #1 and they heap a lot of praise on our debut:

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Comic books based on Cartoon Network series have become all the rage recently, with Boom Studios tackling the network’s current output (Adventure Time, Regular Show) while IDW digs into former shows like The Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack. That latter series never properly concluded on television, making it the perfect choice for a comic-book adaptation, and Samurai Jack #1 (IDW) showcases the sharp action and imaginative design sense that made Genndy Tartakovsky’s creation a modern animated classic.

IDW has picked the ideal creative team for the book in writer Jim Zub and artist Andy Suriano, a character designer for the original cartoon. Jim Zub’s work on Skullkickers is some of the most clever action writing in comic books (particularly because of his hilarious sound effects), and that voice translates perfectly to the world of Tartakovsky’s time-displaced samurai hero. This first issue finds Jack entering a gladiator arena of monsters to retrieve a Thread Of Time that will help him return to his original era, and it’s an outstanding introduction to the character and his mission. It also looks gorgeous under Suriano’s pen, with stylized widescreen visuals that flow gracefully on the page. It’s one of the strongest cartoon adaptations available, giving Samurai Jack fans the story they’ve been yearning for with visuals that maintain all the beauty of the TV show.