If legendary monster-movie director Inoshiro Honda and Heavy Metal magazine artist Moebius teamed up on a comic book, the result might look something like The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot.
The latest series from Dark Horse Comics opens in chaotic, cinematic splendor: a mutated, Godzilla-ish monster rampages through the streets of modern-day Tokyo. The Japanese army sends Rusty the Boy Robot to the rescue. Only this being Rusty's first assignment, he gets clobbered. Enter The Big Guy, America's fave robo-guardian, to save the day.
Artist Geof Darrow is the real star of Big Guy. He doesn't just illustrate Frank Miller's script; he commands it. Big Guy eschews the bloodshed that marked this duo's last comic collaboration, Hard Boiled, and instead promotes a kid-friendlier atmosphere. Fortunately, the delightful mayhem remains, largely due to Darrow's talent. Once you've read the story, you can't help but turn back to ogle each and every one of the comic's intricately detailed 9-by-12-inch pages. Big Guy packs more visual wallop in one issue than other books produce in a year.
The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, by Geof Darrow and Frank Miller: US$4.95 per issue. Dark Horse Comics: (800) 862 0052, +1 (503) 652 8815.
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