Luke Owen reviews the first issue of The Bounce from Image Comics….
Meet the ultimate slacker superhero for the 21st Century! Jasper Jenkins is a super-head AND a super-hero! He’s relatable AND reliable and he’s embarking on the adventure of a lifetime! The sensational debut of the new feel-good hero of the decade! You can’t afford to miss it!
While Image Comics might like to think that The Bounce is a “feel good” romp, I wouldn’t be the first person to throw up my hands in agreement. It’s not exactly Worlds Collide or Kick-Ass (which is a more apt comparison) in terms of light-hearted nature, but it certainly feels like a fun Marvel comic told with a serious Image brush – it’s dark and dingy, but maintains a not-too-serious tone about it.
The story opens with pot smoking Jasper Jenkins, who appears to be nothing more than your typical stoner slacker who sits in his apartment watching the news all day long. Little does his roommate know that he isn’t really a waste of space as he moonlights as superhero The Bounce, leaving his armchair to rescue police chief Dan Kantor who is being tortured by a super villain named The Crunch.
Now just from that paragraph alone, you can tell that this is a comic book you’re not supposed to take too seriously and I get that. The Bounce’s superhero powers, I guess, are that he can curl up into a ball and bounce around – which is a touch bizarre as far as superhero powers go. His enemy, The Crush, is just a strong dude who can bearhug people to death, which is pretty standard super villain fodder but does feel like its supposed to be nothing more than a parody. Even the title The Bounce is something that could be mocked if this was supposed to be taken seriously. However the dark artwork from David Messina, the adult themes and foul language push The Bounce far from being a “feel good” or “light-hearted” comic. It was fun don’t get me wrong, but “feel good”?
I really liked one aspect of the story, which I hope is something they expand upon, in which The Crush talks to The Bounce about being the only superheroes in the city. It’s nothing new in the world of comic books sure, but it’s still an interesting angle that I hope they dissect further.
I mentioned earlier that I think The Bounce’s powers is that he can bounce like a rubber ball, but I’m not overly sure. Stan Lee once said that every comic book is someone’s first comic book and you should reflect that in your writing style – especially if it’s the first issue. Joe Casey on the other hand just throws you right into his world and expects you to keep up. While not necessarily a bad thing, it can cause you too feel a little lost and disinterested at times.
The Bounce #1 is an odd book. Part of me really didn’t like it as I felt it was slightly unbalanced, but the other part of me wants to read more of it. I’m certainly intrigued as to where it’s heading. So in that sense, I guess Casey has done a really good job.
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Month in Review show for Flickering Myth’s Podcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published May 22, 2013. Updated November 7, 2019.
