5 out of 5

Fill-in issues before Ron Lim takes over as our new artist, but this ain’t fill in content.  Baron – and thus Badger – are back, kicking out whip-smart nonsense and action and kung-fu, with each issue’s artist giving it their all.

Each issue has a pretty strong animal focus, in that Badger is fully engaged with that issue’s non-human star, willfully ignoring his homo-sapien costars to converse with buffalo, cats, dogs, geese, and what have you.  And my god, this is the Badge we love, with Larrys, sudden violence prone, and random goofy faces.

In 37, with Rod Whigham – maybe the best looking artist on this book yet (sorry, Reinhold!) – penciling over Angel Medina’s layouts and slickly inked by Jay Geldhof, Baron has Badge and Lamont (yes, the buffalo) mall shopping.  Lamont gets a haircut (yes – the buffalo), carries a Neiman Marcus bag, and gets quite pissy about a guy wearing a buffalo-fur jacket.  This is every 80s calamity movie rolled into one, except elevated by insanity and the no-budget-constraint freedom of having a several ton animal ice skate.  That happens.  Also: buffalo-fur guy is a would-be bankrobber, so Badge and Lamont save the day.  A wonderfully cluttered Badger backup from Roger Salick and Eric Shanower.

38 has somewhat of an over-stuff “main” plot with a businessman trying to decide where to build his new motorbike factory, the three potential locations – one of which Badger is partial toward – planning on trying to woo his favor with their local orchestras playing music of his liking.  The extra stuffing is because his business partner is a ninja, and there’s a consultant for one of the locations who’s, like, evil.  But never you mind: Badger is busy recruiting racoons and cows and cats for his all animal band.  Hm… band, you say?  Might that end up intertwining with wooing that businessman?  Who cares?  That cow hums a badass bassline!  Jim Nelson’s heavy inks on Brian Murray’s art make it a bit stiff at points, but David LeBoy’s color blends are aces.  Another amusing Salick backup, with art by Britt Wisenbaker.

39 does a Spuds McKenzie riff, but man, when the bit is feeling a bit stale, suddenly our Spuds stand-in – Buddy – is doing cocaine and getting zonked out on pills.  And fighting negative media over pit bulls, consarnit!  Yeah, we’re back in good ol’ Badger lunacy.  When Buddy goes missing, his gypsy former-owner (a lovely random Baron detail) is led to Mr. Sykes for assistance.  He assists.  Good stuff ensues, arted by Neil Hansen.

These are the type of issues you rush through, and can’t wait to go back for more.  Can the Badger streak continue?