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Small Wonder primarily features an adventurous blond boy named Newt and a more refined Nigel the skunk. There is a dark haired girl named Jackie who is a pushy sports fanatic and a crabby bird named Rufus. More animals and creatures round out the cast along with cameos by some other well-known comics characters. The dialogue is well done, with a clear voice for each character.

There is a minimum of line, thrown down quick and intuitively.  It does not seem especially reworked or too carefully edited.  This leaves it with a fresh looking, freehand style that has a lot of great character. Small Wonder is not too heavy on background detail, but there is just enough to let you know what the setting of each strip is.

There are some color strips mixed in and I do like the color work a little better than the black and white. It can literally take longer to digitally color a strip than it does to write it, ink and draw it (combined) - so I don’t hold it against Mr. Gowell that he might sometimes keep it uncolored.

My overall impression is that this strip is freewheeling playtime. Small Wonder especially reminds me of all those newspaper strips that are very fun to read. Let’s say you took the best parts of (say) Dennis the Menace, Asterix and Bloom County and hit them with a dose of originality and creativity.

I am also reminded of my favorite bits from the Warner Brother cartoons. This is due to the style of the art and the expressions on some of the faces, especially the animals. Some of the themes are based on those great things we love about cartoons, but there is always a new take. It’s never just a repeated joke. Where else are you going to hear a line like “There’s no place like Oz?” Incidentally, that line perfectly sums up that particular storyline and made me immediately think back over how I had enjoyed it as it played out.

If you can’t tell, I am even more enthused about the writing than I am about the art. Small Wonder has some very charming homages to comics, cartoons and stories we all love, but it primarily stands on its own. There’s a lot of playfulness to enjoy and the work is truly inspired.  You can tell that Mr. Gowell takes a real delight in comics and storytelling. Even the name Small Wonder fits the concept very well.

You will like the artwork and the characters. You will also find yourself hungrily digging through the archives to see what happens next. Check out Small Wonder today!

Small Wonder
by Worth Gowell
Small Wonder updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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