cover image Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy

Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy

Doug Savage. Andrews McMeel, $9.99 paper (144p) ISBN 978-1-4494-7094-4

Savage, creator of the Savage Chickens webcomic, builds out the story of his Laser Moose character over three comics that see the laser-eyebeam-equipped mammal keeping vigilant watch over the forest. Laser Moose’s zap-first-and-ask-questions-later attitude is balanced by that of his sidekick, Rabbit Boy, who cheerfully rushes into potential danger, such as introducing himself to the sharp-toothed aliens that land in the first story. Laser Moose never lets his guard down (“Beautiful days are the worst,” he tells Rabbit Boy. “You have to be extra-focused on looking for evil when it’s a beautiful day”), but his zealousness often gets the best of him, as when he mistakes a deer eating berries in a shrub for a serious threat. “Well, you should eat berries in a less suspicious manner,” he tells the now-three-legged deer. In the second and third stories, Laser Moose faces off against a bear mutated by runoff from the local toxic waste factory and a mechanical squirrel created by his nemesis, Cyborgupine. It’s goofy, off-kilter fun, ideal for fans of shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe. Ages 7–12. (Sept.)