Rugrats #1 serves as a reminder that there is still a place for Rugrats in our world. It’s been a long time since the characters from Rugrats took another form in All Grown Up!, where teenage versions of the characters took focus beginning in April 2003 and lasting until August 2008. It was the next step for the characters but not much was done with them following the series. Tommy Pickles and the gang vanished from pop culture until now with this series. If you read it, you can already hear the voices of the actors who originally portrayed the characters. It’s remarkable how much Box Brown, the writer, is able to recreate the voices of the characters. The art by Lisa DuBois also serves to show just how great the story can come about.
Brown keeps the idea of using the imaginations of these characters to play up the larger than life worlds they imagine themselves living in. It was always something great the television series did and it’s awesome to see that take place in the comic book. Watching Tommy and Chuckie get chased by two Reptars, it does bring back more memories of watching this show during the time of its syndication. Of course, it’s later revealed that Tommy and Chuckie were not running away from Reptars at all. It was only Phil and Lil, their two old friends. Tommy and Chuckie also only went into the sprinklers and not the ocean as their imaginations made them think.
The exploration and creativity of these young characters illustrate what life was like as a kid for many of us. We were all explorers trying to find out more about the world we were growing up in. Things seemed so big and new back then but as we find, it’s not the case as much as we grow older. All the kids get picked up, and Tommy returns to his imagination as his dad plays with him. He imagines himself in a wrestling match, which is not too out of the norm for a young boy to imagine. His dad loves the drawing he does and shares it.
What’s different about this series is its use of modern-day technology like smartphones. You never had those in the original series and it’s telling how much the creative team is trying to make this comic book more relevant in the sphere of today. However, it doesn’t really need to be updated for modern times. The characters and stories involving them have always remained unique enough that they were always going to remain timeless, whether they became teenagers or appeared in a later comic book.
Eventually, Tommy and Chuckie believe they’re being hunted by a bird until Chuckie’s father comes to rescue them. What were the two kids really doing? They were stuck in a hole and afraid of the drone Chuckie’s dad had.
While the characters may not be on television anymore, it’s not bad whatsoever to have them in a comic book series when the stories are able to evoke what made the show great. Thanks to Brown, DuBois, and the rest of the creative team, that’s what you get with Rugrats #1. It’s a comic book series that knows what it is and does little to change how things were when it was first created. With my only gripe being why there are drones and cell phones in this, everything else reminds you of just how great these characters were.
Tommy Zimmer is a writer whose work has appeared online and in print. His work covers a variety of topics, including politics, economics, health and wellness, addiction and recovery, and the entertainment industry.
