Review - Sven The Groundhog: Savior From the Stars #1
From Weird Brain Entertainment
I’ve read a lot of comics written by Dave Franchini, and this one is something new compared to his work with Zenescope. Coming from Weird Brain Entertainment and after a successful Kickstarter campaign, I had the chance to read Sven The Groundhog: Savior From the Stars #1.
Sven is a groundhog, he's from space and he's here to save us, or at least that's what the title implies. But when Sven's first encounter with humans is the not-so-sober Sarah...and her car, things don't really go as planned. Our world is in trouble, unfriendly aliens are among us, and only a space groundhog and a reporter, who doesn't know if she's losing her mind, are our only hope--but what comes next you will need to read to believe!
Written by Dave Franchini
Drawn and coloured by Matteo Leoni
Lettered by Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios
Straight off, this is an entertaining and easy-to-get-into read, with some fun characters and some great dialogue that draws you in nicely.
Sarah is the driving force in this story, the ‘normal’ person in the narrative, and it is her relationship troubles that lead her to team up with Sven in a roundabout way.
Ah, yes, Sven. Sven is an alien that resembles a groundhog. In fact, in his world, the groundhogs were the dominant species and evolved as much. In an interesting aside to the main story, we learn about the well-plotted origins of the species and how and why Sven ended up there.
Which brings us nicely to the foe.
The alien threat (not Sven) evokes some actual ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ vibes, which works well with the mystery and character of this story. You never know where or who the enemy is and what their goals are. Between them, Sven and Sarah, the government, and another shadowy organisation, there is a lot to take in in this large-sized, fun issue.
Even with the larger-than-normal size, this initial issue doesn’t let you get bogged down in the details. Some are dripped in and teased, while others can wait for another day (issue). The artwork is great fun, featuring mundane and human actions alongside Sven and the other aliens. An enjoyable read all over.
It’s great to see this fully funded, and once these rewards are out, they will be available both on the the Weird Brain Entertainment website and in selected comic book stores.
Look out for this fun, action-packed alien invasion comic soon!
