Animator Yehudi Mercado brings the zaniness of Saturday-morning cartoons to this wacky graphic novel! Appealing to fans of Adventure Time, The Simpsons, and Captain Underpants, Pantalones, TX: Don’t Chicken Out follows the adventures of a band of misfit kids in a rural Texas town as they try to outwit, outrun, and outprank the ever-vigilant, taco truck-riding sheriff and his giant chicken. Featuring spoof ads and an eye-popping orange casewrap in landscape trim, this book will appeal to boys and girls 5-15…and their Adult Swim-watching parents!

I met Yehudi Mercado at Baltimore Comic Con and decided to check out his previous work Buffalo Speedway, an entertaining read, if you get the chance to check it out. At that convention he told me about Pantalones, TX, a pitch so odd, so weird, I had to read it. I finally had my chance as Archaia has stepped up to the plate putting this entertaining and original comic out into the market.

The comic is weird, just so weird, in a fun way. The story focuses on Chico Bustamante and his attempts at awesomeness. He’s early Bart Simpson with the daredevil aspect ramped up. His nemesis is a taco truck-driving Sheriff of the town Pantalones, TX.

The series of events throughout the comic are bizarre, but had me smiling and laughing throughout. The situations are everything from daredevil events to involving a giant chicken and even a Bar Mitzvah is thrown in.

The series is beyond original with humor that’s perfect for kids or their parents.

The art is solid too, with a kids animation feel that’s been perfected in series like Powerpuff Girls.

Pantalones, TX: Don’t Chicken Out could be one of the most original books of 2013, it’s definitely up there as one of the more entertaining so far. This is a great read, perfectly entertaining for both kids and adults alike.

Story and Art: Yehudi Mercado

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Archaia provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review