Written by: Midam, Patelin
Illustrations: Midam, Adam
Coloring: Angèle
Publisher: Ballon
Game Over #13 Toxic Affair – Comic Book Review
“Game Over”, it’s probably the two most dreaded or cheered upon words a gamer sees during one of his many gaming sessions. You can either finish the game, or die for the millionth time, while aiming for that specific end goal. The latter is the day-to-day experience for the game character that was first introduced in the Kid Paddle comic book series. In this series you could see Kid Paddle wrestle himself through many bloody games, but sadly enough, the unnamed protagonist of the games always suffered a horrible fate, and this inspired the creators into making a spin-off series all about this character and topic. Whilst the initial concept was refreshing, it might be getting rather monotone in this thirteenth album.
In the Game Over series there is no story but only a collection of one or two paged gags, which all revolve around an unnamed game character trying to save the princess or survive the game he is in. Of course, as the name states, the little hero’s plans tend to result in death more than often, resetting his hard-earned progress.
Overall each gag tends to end up being rather predictable, not because you actually know how the protagonist or the princess will perish, but given the limited possibilities and the reuse of certain options. Things get old quite quickly, which is rather sad for an album that will only take you around ten minutes to read from start to finish. Nonetheless, credit should be given where credit is due, as some of the gags are very entertaining and very original.
The scenarios by Midam and Patelin are rather simple, sometimes very alike, but in their own sense pleasant to see, as there is no actual written text in the book (except for a scream or two). This makes the possibilities a tad more limited, but overall it’s decently done.
It’s fun to see the iconic Kid Paddle style flow over into this series, with the very comical characters, the funny monsters and above all, the goofy appearance of the protagonist. Midam and Adam created their own style for the many different encounters the hero has throughout his travels, making one big fun whole. The rather bland colors used by Angèle fit the grim setting(s) of the hero quite well.
Conclusion
Game Over #13 is a decent, yet never astonishing addition to the series. Whilst this one will give you a bit of fun for around ten to fifteen minutes, mainly thanks to the witty illustrations, things get a bit bland towards the end. If you’re a longtime fan this one might be fun to add to your collection, if not, then it might be fun to pick this one up for a bargain price.
Game Over #13 Toxic Affair - Comic Book Review,
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