2 out of 5
Absolutely darling designs that nod to some of the inspirations Adrian Ropp mentions in his intro – Jeff Smith, Carl Banks – but that same intro suggests the setup here was inspired by Ropp’s own relationship with his cat, and… despite that, the relationship on display between a wandering samurai and his accompanying fox, Chim Chum, feels rather shallow. Additionally, the single panel webcomic format that preceded this issue hasn’t seemed to encourage expanding the “one gag per comic” limitation, which also pretty much repeats Chim Chum’s only gag: running away from any challenge or danger.
That’s all very dismissive, but that because it’s pretty disappointing when checking out Ropp’s prior Chim Chum posts: you get a much clearer feel there for the bond between a man and his pet (aka the samurai and his fox), and even when Ropp steps outside of that to just do a standard Sunday comics style gag, he’s pretty funny, with his art chops nailing the expressiveness and timing needed for the goofy, charming vibe.
The quality of the art carries over: the aforementioned references are there in the strong designs and breezy flow of the pages, with sparse detailing and some shortcuts via repeated panels buoyed by the crisp, popping coloring of the American Mythology imprint. But the story, while appreciably more than just a damsel-in-distress – the samurai does save a lady, but then agrees to go to her village to clear it of monsters, Chim Chum inadvertently doing all he can to make the task less heroic looking – the exact tone between adventure and comedy never quite clicks, as though Ropp was himself unsure where to take it when expanding to a full-length story. …Which is disappointing again because the Chim Chum webcomic ended (for now?) with a really fun linear story told over several pages, which would’ve been absolutely great for this issue instead of this more simplified variant.
The issue includes a pin-up and a page of some of the webcomics. Overall, delightful art, and the joke and story chops are there, but as presented, the tone and pace kind of stall in the expanded format.
