Bombos vs. Everything, Vol. 1

By Maximo V. Lorenzo
Tokyopop, 192 pp.
Rating: Teens (13 +)

Bombos is a young and energetic paperboy living in the small town of Thessel who dreams of moving to the mysterious big city of Bokonon. His only chance at achieving this dream is to be the best fighter in town. To do so, he must beat his rival Veng, survive his editor-in-chief’s crazy training program, and win the dangerous and mysterious “Qualifiers.” Can Bombos do the impossible and win his way into the big city?

More importantly, will you actually care?

Sadly, you probably won’t. The story is shonen distilled to its purest form with all pretense of characters and twists jettisoned in favor of a straightforward, plot-heavy approach. The characters are about as one dimensional as you can get; author Lorenzo provides very little information explaining who they are or why they do what they do. Bombos is a bit too unlikable for me to care one way or another if he succeeds in his goals. He comes off as a bully and a bit of an insensitive jackass, randomly attacking cave men and often ditching Addy, the only friend he actually has. We’re told no one else in town likes him, and after reading this book, I can’t really blame them. His rival Veng is just kind of there, he’s Bombos’ rival and… well, that’s all he is really. And so on for all the characters. They’re just there, like lumps. On the upside, something about the dialogue reminds me of Corey Lewis’ work, like Sharknife or Peng! Young, energetic, silly and fun. Perhaps a little over done, but it’s still kind of cute and entertaining.

Thankfully, what Lorenzo lack in his writing abilities he makes up for in his visual storytelling. With few exceptions his artwork, pacing, and layouts are all interesting and easy for the eye to follow. His pencils break down and become slightly rougher and sketchier during high action sequences which is a nice touch. Emotions come across wonderfully on his characters’ faces, whether it’s the quiet hurt and dejected look of Bombos’ pal Addy, or the mischievous, self-confident look that often adorns Bombos’ own face. Stylewise, Lorenzo’s art looks like something I’d expect to see in an American small press/indie comic. The biggest weak point is the monster fight that comes about halfway through. The creature is… well… a potato on stilts. Not exactly a visually exciting or interesting critter and the scene suffers because of it. Included at the end of the book is a nifty little sketch book which further highlights Lorenzo’s snazzy artwork.

Overall Bombos vs. Everything is a mixed bag. The bland writing results in a story that just sits there and doesn’t engage the reader. The book’s strength lies with Lorenzo’s visuals, even if the potato monster is a bit bland. That said, I would definitely be interested in seeing more of Lorenzo’s artwork. If he can make his writing click as well as his art does, he might produce some fantastic stuff.

Volume one of Bombos vs. Everything is available now.