Alright, so its been a long while since I last read anything from Dynamite and I’ve clearly missed quite a bit. Case in point, their continuations of franchises like Gargoyles, Darkwing Duck, and Lilo & Stitch. The last two being something I haven’t watched in a long time and I was worried that this first issue of Stitch would be something of a hill I’d have problems dealing with given that I haven’t read any of Greg Pak’s run. But after reading this issue and some research, that’s thankfully not the case as Connor Ratliff and James III’s new series is separate from Pak’s run. Something I intend to look for when I’m able to do so in addition to the Gargoyles and Darkwing Duck titles. But anyways, enough on that and onwards! Like how having hair is a Helluva thing to have and ol’ Dr. Jumba has something of an evil plan with it in order to keep his membership in E.G.G.S. much to the exasperation of Agent Pleakley. Good times!
Even when you have a blue furball of chaos like Stitch himself running around to potentially muck things up! Which… Given the experiences he has after messing with Jumba’s idea, he’ll likely have learned a lesson! Pity however that it seems Jumba is unlikely to learn his! But hey, free dental’s a great perk to have when part of a group like E.G.G.S.! I’m glad I gave this book a chance as I greatly enjoyed it and couldn’t help but smile all the way to the end. The chat Bubbles has with Stitch and the resulting aftermath is not only heartfelt but hilarious and is easily my favorite part of this first issue. Ratliff and James both do such a fantastic job in writing the characters and I am looking forward to seeing more of what they do.
Though one thing I’m not entirely clear on is if each new invention of Jumba’s for each issue is part of an overarcing storyline to stay in E.G.G.S. or if each issue are just stand alones. Either way, I’m here for it but given this title is supposed to feature Jumba as the main character, wouldn’t it have made more sense to title it as Dr. Jumba? But given how Stitch easily takes the spotlight no matter what he’s doing, I suppose the current title is only fitting! So if you haven’t checked this out yet, do so!
Best part? Second issue’s already out and about as well so you can have double the fun in reading all the great chaos!
Stitch #1
Dynamite
Writers: Connor Ratliff and James III
Artist: Greta Xella
Letters and Colors: Fabio Amelia
Main Cover: Edwin Galmon
Reviewer: Rob Wrecks
Summary: Dr. Jumba Jookiba, the scientist responsible for releasing the blue-furred phenomenon known as Stitch onto an unsuspecting galaxy, is in danger of losing his membership in E.G.G.S. – the Evil Genius Group-slash-Syndicate. With all the time that he’s been spending on Earth, Dr. Jumba hasn’t earned enough Villain Points to re-up next year. And while he no longer considers himself fully “evil,” he really wants to stay in E.G.G.S. – mainly for their great dental plan, and complimentary intergalactic travel lounges.
What’s a morally flexible genius to do? Why, create a series of evil inventions in an attempt to remain qualified, of course! There’s just one problem (well, two, if you count Pleakley’s vain attempts to rein in the good doctor): Stitch is a wild card that Jumba can never properly account for in his calculations – and the fuzzy little ball of chaos finds a way to ruin every one of his brilliant inventions!
