Captain Camel and the Space Chicken

(Blindwolf, 2001)
™ and © Blindwolf Studios

From the pages of Comic Library International comes a collection of Art Baltazar’s Captain Camel strips. Along for the ride are a handful of new pages created for this edition that tie into the original story. In this volume, Cap and the Space Chicken (his sidekick, of course) are hired to search the galaxy for the elusive missing pieces of The Face, a cherished family heirloom that has been scattered throughout space.

Well, all righty, then. Simple enough. And simple it is, since the character and concept were clearly created with a young children’s audience in mind. And kids likely will laugh at the cartoonish Captain and his slapstick antics, but adults will probably find this a little too juvenile for their tastes. While digestible in its original 10-page chapters, the entire 60-plus page story wears thin early on. It just doesn’t succeed in holding the reader’s attention, especially that of an easily distracted child. The price doesn’t help, either.

Baltazar does a better job with the art, though. The large panels and cartoon style nicely convey the one-dimensional sight gags that younger readers will find funny and at least make the story go by that much more quickly. But future collections would be better suited to a 24- or 32-page volume that won’t test the reader’s patience. Or wallet.

— Jim Johnson

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#1

September, 2015
Cover Price: $6.95
1 copy available for $1.20

Art Baltazar