ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM #1
Writer: Jon Adams
Artist: Horacio Domingues
Letter: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Release Date: 10/05/16
Rating: Rated T+
Price: $3.99
Plot: Welcome to the Enchanted Tiki Room! A magical place on a small, isolated, volcanic, beautiful island in the Pacific Ocean. Where every week people who need help the most come and experience the magic of the Enchanted Tiki Room. They have their lives changed forever and remember, NO REFUNDS!
Story: I have to admit, I have enjoyed every Disney Kingdom series to date. They are fun magical adventures that transport you to another time and world. I am glad that the Enchanted Tiki Room is no different.
I grew up in the 80’s and watched shows like Fantasy Island (Boss the plane! The plane boss!) and the Love Boat. This is very much in that vein. If you ever watched those shows, you know that they were shows where people would go on a vacation/cruise. While there their lives will be impacted greatly. That is what this mini-series is shaping up to be, but in comic form using the Enchanted Tiki Room from Disney as the setting.
We are introduced to our cast which shows a full range of archetypes. You have Agnes, and her dog Alfred, an aging actress who is looking for love. But she has transferred that affection to dogs as they can be kept on short leashes. Next is the Randy family, a mother father, son and daughter who value the material of the family. Then we have Wally, a young man who just broke up with his controlling girlfriend. Finally, a mysterious visitor comes rides in on a tide at the end.
The visitors aren’t all of the characters though, we need the staff of the island, and the characters are as colorful as the feathers of our singing Macaws, who are going through creative differences. Then there is the newest member of the staff, Chip a budding singer who is looking for his big break and hoping the Enchanted Tiki Room can provide it. But let’s not forget the father of all the Tiki Gods on the island Tangaroa, the only tree with a face on the island.
Jon Adams really sets you on this magical fantasy adventure, and makes you feel like these characters, as flamboyant and exaggerated as they are, are real. The most exaggerated is the Randy Family, but he does it in a way where you really get the message. I felt for the family, who aren’t bad, they are actually philanthropist. They just don’t know how to connect.
Art: The art is AMAZING!. The art has this animated style to it that immediately brings up the Disney Afternoon. I felt like I was watching a show back then with Aladdin, Talespin, Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, etc. The art really helps me enter this lush world through the way Horacio Domingues shows the facial expressions and body language.
Each character shows an extreme range of emotions from their eyes, nose, mouth, tilt of the head and even how they carry themselves. Even Agnes’ dog Alfred show expression from his nose to his tail Domingues uses the entire body to put us in his place As you read the book you begin to hear a chorus of character voices begin to form in your head, transforming a simple comic into a fantasy adventure. I can hear the accents of the Macaws, and the sad undertones to Agnes proper facade.
Horacio Domingues does all the art here, pencils, inks and color, and each part plays a part in the experience, but his colors are so beautiful. They really help you feel like you are on this tropical paradise island. The colors do more than just make the characters come to life, they add an atmosphere. Finally, the colors help finish this fantasy by transfixing me to the island. I can hear the music, feel the sun, and it is all because of the vibrant palette
Verdict: Overall I really enjoyed this book, and I hope Disney takes this book and transform it into an animated series, or at the very least an animated movie. But I want them to bring this team on with Jon Adams writing, and Horacio Domingues doing the character designs.