Richie Rich #5
Written by Buddy Scalera
Art by James Silvani
Colors by Dustin Evans
Letters by Deron Bennett
Edited by Arron Sparrow
Concept by Brent E. Erwin
Ape Entertainment/Kizoic
Release Date: June 6, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Starting with Richie Rich #5 this series goes monthly, and I have to say, the 10-year-old in me is really happy about it, and I think the 10-year-old in you will enjoy it just as much.

Writer Buddy Scalera gives us a great lead story in this issue, one that reminds me of the classic Richie Rich stories, but with a modern day twist. I have to admit, reading the series before I wasn’t totally digging the Jonny Quest take on Richie Rich that Ape Entertainment had going on. But, in this issue, Scalera returns Richie to his roots and tells a story that could only happen to “the poor little rich boy.” It’s a great parody of classic superhero comics, one that I think you’ll enjoy and find really charming. A couple of classic characters are introduced from the Richie Rich universe, and the whole story really comes off as the Richie Rich we all know and love.

My only complaint? Reggie isn’t enough of a brat like he was in the original series. In future issues I’d like to see him return to being Richie’s arch-rival and not his pal.

Artist James Silvani is the perfect choice for this book. He’s got a great kid friendly/cartoony style that doesn’t put off older readers. He pulls off some pretty impressive character designs here, which I won’t go into for spoiler reasons, but I don’t think they could have found a better artist to illustrate this series. His art is leaps and bounds about the typical younger readers titles out there right now.

It doesn’t matter if you buy this for a kid or for yourself, you’re going to enjoy it, I will guarantee that 100%! This really took me back to reading the old Richie Rich comics when I was a kid, and I think it’ll make you feel the same way. With all the “serious” comic books out on the shelves today, it’s nice to have something that you can just sit back with, relax, and allow yourself a few chuckles. And did I mention that there’s some great classic Richie one-page comics reprinted after the lead story? Highly recommended.