Readings

Incredible Change-Bots

by Jeffrey Brown
Top Shelf Productions, 144 pp., $15 (paper)

In his latest (and first all-color) graphic novel, comix star Jeffrey Brown has stepped slightly out of form. Brown's repertoire consists largely of relationship-diary comics, wherein he nakedly displays his emotions and weakness for the fair lady. He has dabbled in parody with superhero-comic spoof Bighead, but in Brown's seven years of making graphic novels, The Incredible Change-Bots is his first in which he does not star. And the change, incredible as it seems, is an expected evolution in Brown's career: His graphic novels have become progressively less whiny and personal and even more charming.

The Incredible Change-Bots is, as the author puts it, "part parody, part nostalgic tribute, part moral fable." Somewhere far, far away, the planet Electronocybercircuitron houses highly developed alien-robots who possess the ability to transf- ... um ... change into human machines and appliances but chiefly into cars. With a simple "chee choo chu chook chee chuk," giant, clunky robots gracefully morph into semis, pickups, sports cars, and all forms of service vehicles. The society of these highly intelligent and powerful life-forms is governed under a two-party system: the Awesome Bots, led by benevolent, dopey Big Rig, and the Fantasticons, led by devious Shootertron. After destroying Electronocybercircuitron in an ugly battle for planetary dominance, the Incredible Change-Bots descend upon Earth, where adventure and mayhem ensue.

In Brown's version, pretransformation, these alien-robots do not look as bold nor as engineered as their Eighties toy-and-cartoon-series predecessors; rather, they look more like cars on legs. Actually, most of the humor in this comic comes from Brown's depictions of the individual Bots and, of course, the witty, silly dialogue. Further, Brown adds original doses of robot lovin' ("chee chook chee") and political satire. But like the TV show, which was hardly more than a half-hour toy commercial, at the end of the comic book, there's an opportunity to spend some dough on merchandise. For a mere $20, members of the Official Incredible Change-Bots Fan Club will receive a drawing of the Change-Bot of their choice, along with a fan-club-exclusive minicomic, and an official membership card. Do it now: The offer expires Dec. 31!