Ranklechick and His Three-Legged Cat

(Slave Labor, 2001)
™ and © Slave Labor Graphics

An unspecified time ago, in Ranklechick’s world, the lack of imagination in 98% of humanity indirectly resulted in the Earth becoming an inhabitable mess of grey goo. You read that right. And the remaining human population, the most imaginative and creative 2%, now resides within a space colony near Jupiter. In our world, Ranklechick creators Rosearik Rikki Simons and Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons also show themselves to be two very creative people, albeit with a title that doesn’t live up to its potential.

The first page of each issue nicely sets up the crazy but inventive premise of the story, but the story itself then fails to capitalize on that set-up. An intriguing early explanation of what are now the nine separate races of humanity is barely touched upon later on. Instead, both issues immediately move into a lot of exposition among characters that is only mildly amusing, at best. Like a washed-up athlete touting how great he was in high school, the story seems more interested in reveling in its own creativity rather than in advancing itself.

The highlight of the series is the breathtaking computer-generated backgrounds, but those are not enough to justify the story’s lack of intensity. The slick paper and excellent production make a nice-looking package, but, at $3.95, many potential readers might not even glance through it long enough to be disappointed.

— Jim Johnson

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