Bad Idea dives into the all-ages arena with this beautifully packaged comic featuring two stories of high quality. Whalesville x Rocks and Minerals delivers a double dose of writer Matt Kindt with two stories that would feel right at home with the Jim Henson Company and some puppets.

Whalesville delivers a familiar story with a group stuck inside a whale. It’s a beautiful story in both its narrative and visuals. There’s a modern classic feel about it including its underlying messages and magical flow.

Kindt delivers a cute menagerie of creatures whose only world is within a whale. When a young boy winds up with them, a debate of where he came from and what might lay outside begins.

There’s a very adorable aspect to the discussion diving into perspectives and how we perceive the world around us. There’s solid lessons within that young children might pick up on and while there’s a minor scary moment, the story is one as a parent I could read over and over.

The art by Adam Pollina with color by Matt Hollingsworth and lettering by Dave Sharpe is magical. With a style that reminds me of the stop motion animation of Wes Anderson. Like the story itself, it’s cute and adorable and just full of detail. It feels like a miniature world and one I want to visit and get to experience for myself. It’s magical story and art.

Rocks and Minerals is a kookier focusing on a world where rocks and minerals have come alive. It too has a theme of the world is more than we see but there are other lessons within. Kindt is joined by Tony Millionaire on art, Jim Campbell on color, and Millionaire on lettering. The story is an interesting one about following authority and exploring the world around you and most importantly not hating things that are different. All good lessons for sure. The art is interesting with the different types of rocks adding a nice layer of fun for inquisitive minds. The ending is a bit abrupt in some ways though delivering a rather odd reading experience.

Whalesville x Rocks and Minerals is something very different for Bad Idea both in content and format. But, it’s another win for the upstart publisher. There’s quirky fun about it that hearkens back to stories of my childhood (the terrorizing 80s). This is one for the whole family to enjoy from the fun stories to the beautiful art. It’s a unique experience on the comic shelf.

Story: Matt Kindt Art: Adam Pollina, Tony Millionaire
Color: Matt Hollingsworth, Jim Campbell Letterer: Dave Sharpe, Tony Millionaire
Story: 8.65 Art: 8.65 Overall: 8.65 Recommendation: Buy

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Purchase: Zeus Comics