TokuNet Comics Corner: Hyper Force Neo

This installment of the TokuNet Comics Corner reviews one of this week’s highly anticipated debuts.

Hyper Force Neo #1: Written, drawn, and lettered by Jarrett Williams. Colors by Jeremy Lawson

Hyper Force Neo is the newest comic from Jarrett Williams, creator of the wrestling comic Super Pro K.O. It’s an all-ages book that follows 9th grader Dean Masters during his first week at New Sigma High School. Dean makes new friends, tries out for the track team, hangs out at the local arcade, and joins the battle against an evil alien army. He’s a busy kid.

The first thing that struck me about Hyper Force Neo was the art. Williams’ style is distinctive and vibrant and fits perfectly in the world of children’s media that’s dominated by Adventure Time and Steven Universe. The book moves at a pretty smooth pace, but Williams stuffs each and every page with detail and creatively re-purposes dialogue bubbles and caption boxes to the point where I often had to pause to take it all in.

HFN is obviously video-game inspired, in form as well as content. Characters and items are introduced in a way reminiscent of a tutorial level, where the reader feels like they’re looking at their own heads-up display that shows useful info like bus routes and health bars.

The story is simple and familiar to anyone who’s seen Super Sentai or Power Rangers, but Williams’ style and attention to detail make the ride a fun one. I may be a little older than the book’s intended audience so I can’t speak for them, but I know Hyper Force Neo is something I would have loved at that age.