Review: Mr. Stuffins #3
Release Date: 1 July 2009
Writer(s): Andrew Cosby and Johanna Stokes
Artist(s): Axel Medellin Machain
Cover(s): David Petersen, Matt Cossin
Colours: Andres Lozano and Daniela Fiore
Letterer: Johnny Lowe
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
It’s do or die time for Stuffins, and he’s going to have his hands full saving the day with Zack’s dad in tow. This teddy bear is resourceful, so I have a feeling things will turn out good for Zack and his family (this is a light-hearted comic, after all). For the baddies, it’s probably going to get messy.
This issue basically wraps this series up in a way you might expect. Despite Zack’s dad coming to realize that his son has been telling him the truth about Mr. Stuffins the entire time, he still thinks he knows how to save his family without the help of Stuffins — the super soldier inside a teddy bear. Super. Soldier. Of course the father who’s screwed up everything else in the history of his family (can’t even make it to soccer games and dance recitals) totally knows better than a super solider.
He dumps Zack off at his school, and heads to the drop point to get his wife and daughter back in exchange for Stuffins. At this point, Stuffins points out the obvious: if he exchanges the disc for his family, none of them are going to make it out alive. Everyone should know not to trust shadow government organizations! It’s like rule number 10 or something! Stuffins comes up with a plan, that the dad totally botches, and Zack shows that he’s been paying attention to all the things Stuffins has been teaching him. In the end, the day is totally saved by the use of teamwork by a family (well, a father, son, and a teddy bear — the mother and daughter don’t do anything).
I am so a 5-year-old because this little series entertained the crap out of me, despite knowing exactly how it was going to end. I’ve said it for every issue, but it’s the dialogue for that damn bear that cracks me up every time. While the way the series is wrapped up is predictable, it feels satisfactory for the type of story this is. This isn’t the kind of series where one of the family members or Mr. Stuffins dying would have worked at all. It’s light-hearted action, not drama, and having someone die would just be too out of place here. Axel Medellin Machain’s art was solid the entire run, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Great rendering of action and Mr. Stuffins’ surly face.
I don’t know if it’s because I want a bear like this for reals or because times are pretty crappy right now and I need a laugh, but this series has definitely become one of my all-time favourites. I would recommend it to any reader looking for a moment where you stop thinking about all the crappy stuff happening in your life and laugh, giggle, or just take a moment to smile at a bear kicking some major rear end.
