Big Trouble in Little China #1
Story by John Carpenter & Eric Powell
Written by Eric Powell
Art by Brian Churilla
Colors by Michael Garland
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Covers by Eric Powell, Joe Quinones, Chris Weston, Terry Dodson, Emi Yonemura Brown, Joe Eisma with Chris Blythe, Gabriel Hardman with Jordan Boyd, Frank Cho with John Rauch, Adam Hughes, Chuck BB, Frank Cho, and Jimmy Giegerich
BOOM! Studios
Release Date: June 4, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

I’ve been waiting YEARS for Big Trouble in Little China #1, and the wait is finally over!!! Can this comic possibly live up to years and years of anticipation? Let’s take a look..

I’ve never read an Eric Powell comic, but if the rest of them are half as entertaining as this book is, I’m going to start. From a story by him and John Carpenter (director of the 1986 film), Powell brings back every man’s favorite every man, Jack Burton (played by Kurt Russell in the film). The book takes place about 5 minutes after the movie ends, and Powell shows us that the movie wasn’t really a special event for Jack Burton, it was just another day in his life.

Powell does an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the movie here, when you read the comic you can actually hear Russell and the other stars of the film talking. Reading this comic, I found myself laughing, smiling and holding my breath just as if I was watching a sequel that had never been made. He really captures the spirit and heart of the film, and that’s what’s important, because that’s what made the movie a classic.

Artist Brian Churilla is amazing! Just like Powell, he captures the look and spirit of the film perfectly. He has the perfect style for this book, and I hope he’s on it for the duration. Churilla brings life to every page, every character, and every creature. What I love about his art is that it’s not overly detailed, but not simplistic or cartoony. It’s just believable enough for this book and this universe, and it really gives the story the slam dunk that makes it perfect. One thing that really impressed me is his ability to capture the likenesses of the actors and make them work in comics. You can definitely tell, he is NOT working from publicity stills or screen grabs from the movie. Spectacular art that really makes the book.

So, did this book live up to almost 30 years of expectation? In a word, YES!! Between Powell and Carpenter’s story and Churilla’s art, this book is damn near perfect! I highly recommend you give the movie a watch before reading this first issue, not because you NEED to, just because it’s awesome. The movie is, as of this writing, available streaming on Netflix, and is also available to watch on Amazon free for Amazon Prime members. This COMIC is available at comic stores everywhere and you should run out and buy a copy, because you won’t find a better comic out this week.