by Michael J. Foy

I am not sure how I can possibly ever thank the people over at BOOM Studios for resurrecting one of my favorite characters of all time: Jack Burton. John Carpenter’s cult classic from 1986, Big Trouble in Little China, has such a vivid world of black magic and zany action. It’s a western in a blender with chucks of comedy, romance, and a dozen other things mixed in. The original film follows Jack Burton and his friend Wang Chi as they attempt to rescue Chi’s fiance from the clutches of the immortal gangster, David Lo Pan.

The new comic book, with a story by John Carpenter & Erk Powell, features the return of many familiar characters, including Egg Shen, the giant ugly demon from Lo Pan’s lair and of course, the Pork Chop Express herself. BUT, no story would be complete without it’s villain and we’re introduced to a new threat in place of the defeated gangster. I don’t want to give away too much, but I do want to talk about a few things, so let’s say the next section is full of spoilers!

With the noticeable absence of Gracy Law, Margo, Eddie Lee and the rest of the Chang Sing, I’m left wondering where they are. The main arc of the first issue is Wang Chi’s wedding after all and it just seems to me that they would be there. The new villain seems to fit in just fine as an angry old student of Lo Pan’s. Similar sure, but good enough for me to keep on reading. AND! How can I not mention the biggest twist yet, that the monster is now attached to Burton’s soul? Crazy! But his reaction is CLASSIC, and I found myself laughing out loud, as Jack complains to a confused Wang, who says, “Jack, don’t you know it’s bad luck to bring a demon to a wedding?”

The instant I started reading this, all I heard was the character’s voices and the music from the film. It’s too bad another film was never made, but this comic series finally brings us something more from the world of Little China. The artwork by Brian Churilla and coloring by Michael Garland are very much on par with the style of Carpenter’s film, but it’s the change in medium that affords us to see this world in a new way. For the first time it’s partly up to the reader to film in the action of jump kicks through the air. The whole comic is filled with lots of vivid colors, a Burton flash back like no other, and some really fun action sequences.

Overall, there’s a nice pace to whole thing and I’m excited to read issue number two. For someone who is a fan of Big Trouble, or even just a fan of fun and adventurous comic books, I can not recommend this enough. The story itself is fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and at only a couple bucks, it’s more than worth the cover price. It has the right tone, the right look, a fun story, and great familiar characters; what’s not to like?! Plus, I have always wanted to know if the law ever caught up to old Jack Burton...

Check it out for yourself at BOOM-STUDIOS.com

Score: 4 ½ Egg Shens Out of 5