Finn and Jake in a . . . Post-Apocalyptic World? Adventure Time covers a lot of genres, but this is one I never thought I’d see explored. As the boys head off into a grim and desolate wasteland to continue their reverse quest to convince the Monkey Wizard to kidnap Princess Painting, they team up with Marceline the vampire, because, you know, vampires are awesome.
Post-Apocalyptic (PA) settings tend to be dark and gritty, but Adventure Time puts its own spin on the genre by cutting down on the angst and grime. In its place, The Flip Side presents a more cluttered and uncultured world while still fitting a lot of references in from PA movies and games. More so than the other genres so far, I had a lot of fun seeing the more family-friendly and silly versions of some rather violent characters in the background.
It’s taken some time, but the art of Wook Jin Clark and the colors of Whitney Cogar really won me over in this issue. This could easily have been one of the more drab books in the series. How do you make wastelands and shanty towns stand out? Clark and Cogar found a way. The variety of landmarks and rich colors of the wastelands and life-filled marketplace are gorgeous.
My favorite thing in this issue is how the ladies are given a real chance to shine. Marceline is, in many ways, the muscle for Jake and Finn in spite of their own abilities to fight. Her appearance this time is interestingly rather feminine in stark contrast to her usual wardrobe and the setting she finds herself in. The wardrobe change also seems to bring forth some of Marceline’s more feminine traits; it’s a nice change up to see for the character. While The Flip Side does show readers the softer side of Marceline, at her core she’s still the tough-as-nails vampire chick, and she demonstrates this fact ably. Who says you can’t kick butt in a skirt and nice boots? The Flip Side #3 also adds a brand new princess to the world of Adventure Time. I couldn’t help but fall in love with her character design and personality.
Five Vampire Threats out of Five
