Over the Garden Wall is definitely a comic that would grab a lot of children's attention. I mean six variant covers for a comic is a lot, but when it is as cute as Over the Garden Wall, then you come to enjoy each one of those covers. So I guess I will start with the art. Jim Campbell does an amazing job on making this comic appealing. The characters are “pinch their cheeks” cute. I can’t get over Greg’s tea pot hat and little overalls. It makes his silly comments even more adorable. Wirt is pretty cute himself, and you just can’t go wrong with cone hat and a cape. So both A+s on the characters. Danielle Burgos is on color, and she encompasses the light mood of the comic as well. So even though it takes place back in the day, the colors pop and really give personality to all the characters. I am sure lots of you have heard of Over the Garden Wall from Cartoon Network. It was a mini-series that has made its way to comics. The stories and themes are very much the same and have this whimsical feeling to it. You have two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who travel along and run into different people, problems, and fun. During their trips, Beatrice, a talking bird, assists them in their journey. Actually Beatrice is more of a sarcastic nuisance. Although this bird would never admit that.
The group doesn’t do much. If I had to describe it, I would say that it is a kid’s version of Seinfeld. In this particular issue, Wirt falls into a garden where he is greeted by two young girls. These girls are doing their chores and insists that Wirt help them because he messed up their garden. Of course these girls are up to no good, but Wirt is gullible. And again Beatrice just nags Wirt the whole time while Greg is on his own mission and hardly understands what is happening. This combination of events makes for some playful reading. Pat McHale, you can tell, has a lot of fun. Although my favorite is Greg, not just because he looks cute, but because he is creative in the things that he notices. Unlike adults, where we can be very black and white, Greg is grey and decides to see things more creatively. Again, it adds a different twist on the main story and gives the reader other things to look forward besides what happens to Wirt.
All in all, this comic is fun and light-hearted. I think kids would enjoy the silliness of it all. My only complaint is how rude Beatrice is to Wirt. I would hope that is doesn’t teach kids to be sarcastic to people who are different or don’t understand something right away. But again, I think it mostly just adds some fun. Plus, Wirt does stand up for himself and figures it all out. And I really just can’t get enough of the art. It has this bubbly quality that every kid loves. So if you are a fan of the show, I would pick this up, or if you enjoy Adventure Time, I would pick this up.
Score: 3/5
Over the Garden Wall #1 Writer: Pat McHale Artist: Jim Campbell Colorist: Danielle Burgos Publisher: KaBoom! Price: $3.99 Release Date: 8/26/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital