Gear #1 (of 6)
[Fireman Press, Ltd. B&W $2.95 US]
Written & Illustrated by Doug Tennapel
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I ordered this through my local comic retailer because it was done by the creator of Earthworm Jim. Since I love this cartoon (hey, Cartoon Network, how about reruns?) I figured I’d give this 4 issue mini-series a try.

I can definitely tell Doug Tennapel comes from an animation background because issue #1 reads a lot like storyboards for a cartoon. The art was very expressive and cinematic and things went by way too quickly. Plus there wasn’t a whole lot of dialogue. Unfortunately this made for a confusing first issue.

The story begins with a guy being executed in his home. Then we change scenery and are introduced to a bunch of cats who end up being terrorized by a very large robot. One of their members, Simon, gets squished by the robot and Gordon decides to get revenge. He breaks into the robot and kills everyone driving it. The captain of the robot ends up getting thrown out and smashed by the robot’s fist. All very nicely illustrated but I wish I knew more about what the hell was really going on. Since I’m down for all six issues I’ll let be sure to let you know how this mini turns out.

If you’re trying to track Gear down locally and just can’t find it any where write Fireman Press, Ltd., 709 Broadway Street, Suite 1, Venice, CA 90291. Or you can e-mail them at scud1373@earthlink.net. The Fireman Press web site is www.scud.com.