From Golden Apple Books. Written by Richard Fairgray and Paul Eiding. Art by Richard Fairgray.

I admit to having no knowledge of this book before Free Comic Book Day. Golden Apple is a long familiar name as “The Comic Shop to the Stars” is legendary. This title was listed as one of the comics for kids this past FCBD and anything that gets my 5 year old interested in reading is treated like gold in this house.

Gold might be the perfect metaphor. Not only because of the name of the publisher, but also because this is an investment. I loved it immediately but this isn’t a comic for a five year old. However, when he is seven he’s going to go nuts for this comic.

Blastosaurus is kind of a film noir private eye/do gooder who ended up in Freak Out City. He’s not quite human, not quite a dinosaur. But he’s all hero. This comic reminded me a lot of Savage Dragon. Anything can happen, everything makes sense within this world, and as I’m writing this and looking at the comic I see a background character with a green mohawk. Maybe a coincidence.

The comic is full of ridiculous concepts. First out, the Swampires – hillbilly vampires – rob a bank. A blood bank. And that’s where the comic starts! At the end of this first story it’s revealed that all of the stories are being told at a party being held in Blastosaurus’s honor. Two kids, Tabitha and Richard, tag along with the paleo private eye. They’re tweenagers and that is the perfect demographic for this comic.

If I wasn’t sure by now, the next villain confirms my suspicions. The Crop Duster. Oh yeah, he terrorizes the city in exactly the way you suspect. Short of lighting a giant match, Blastosaurus is the only one that can save the city. He saves everyone and everything in need without question. Even in the midst of a gas attack, there’s no stopping this fossil fuel.

The entire comic is rounded out with the tale of an evil potato. Feast your eyes on a tale that can only be told in comics, not on any tuber.

This comic speaks to the inner Menace inside of us all. As if the kids from the Sandlot got confused and played ball at Jurassic Park. If you want a comic for a kid that will make mom roll her eyes and dad giggle when he thinks no one is looking, this comic is for you.