Robin Red and the Lutins #1

A second review for today as I try to make some progress on the stack before we head to the US for the summer. Like most of the random stack of unread comics, I have no recollection of where I got this one.

Title: Robin Red and the Lutins
Issue: #1
Date: November, 1986
Publisher: Animated Comics Enterprises (ACE)
Writer: Pat Boyette, Jack Kent, DeFuccio, Clarke
Artist:Pat Boyette, Jack Kent, DeFuccio, Clarke

I love it when I find something that is completely unexpectedly good. This was published probably about a year before I started my first serious run of collecting comics, and right around the beginning of the b/w comics boom of the 80s, and I completely missed out on it then, in spite of me actively seeking out all the small press fantasy titles I could get my hands on back then.

The main story if by Pat Boyette. There are two one-page gag strips as backups, one by Jack Kent, and the other credited to "DeFuccio & Clarke".

But it's the main story that really shone here. Set in a fairy tale world where the various types of magical creatures are known collectively as Lutins, the story centers on a young prince who is on the run because his uncle has decided to kill him to nullify the boy's claim to the throne.

He takes shelter with a witch, but is soon finds himself in new danger at the hands of a trio of magical ogres. The title character, the son of the local woodcutter, arrives toward the end of the issue to take up the quest to save the young prince.

The greatest thing about this is that everyone in the story, heroes and villains alike, are marvelously incompetent. The humor turns slapstick occasionally, but it never quite manages to detract from the story, and the personalities of the characters shine through brilliantly. It's also nice that the artwork avoids "comic book" body types and goes for a much more realistic range of looks.

The pacing and dialogue are reminiscent of Carl Barks' Disney work, and the magical elements of the world are creative and fun.

I'm not sure how long a run this ended up getting in the 80s, but I would love to check out any more of it that got published.

Rating: 8.5/10