Don Chin’s band of super hamsters (parodied off the famous turtles) return to action in the new Dynamite Entertainment monthly series by Keith Champagne and Tom Nguyen. Hamsters Assemble! Here’s our review of the first issue.
Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters #1
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A parody of a parody. Created by Don Chin and Parsonavich, the Adolescent Black Belt Hamsters were a parody of Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the near endless slew of action films, in the late eighties. With the new turtle film (read our review) breathing life back into the franchise the hamsters also return for a new series from Dynamite Comics.
The five hamster team is comprised of Rock, Arnold, Jean Claude, Steven, and Lucy. All are named after the action stars they resemble (and are often spouting catch-phrases). Who did you expect them to be named after? Famous artists? In the first issue the team is called back to the Himalayan monastery which is under siege by a horde led by the reborn Genghis Khann.
Filled with action, bad puns and quotes from a variety of films including T2, Hard to Kill, Under Siege, and several others, this isn’t a comic for everybody. But, for those like me who grew up with these films, many of these moments will bring a smile to your face.
This first issue deals mainly with introducing the team, with a short glimpse at our villain. In order to accomplish this the issue, aside from the training scenes, is a little light on action before the real fight begins on the last few pages. But with these final pages leaving two of the heroes near death, one attempting flight without wings (never a good idea), and the others surrounded by an army, I think we’ll see the furry fists fly in the second issue.
Writer Keith Champagne is obviously having fun here playing with the characters, especially Steven who gets most of the best scenes early on (are you a closet Steven Seagal fan, Mr. Champagne?). The humor does seem a bit forced at times, but that’s to be expected in a first issue. I was also pleased with the art by Tom Nguyen which gave a humanity to the characters while also playing up the absurdity of it all.
This isn’t a great issue or a must-read by any means, but it’s different and a little refreshing from the recent offerings of the bigger comics companies. And now that my beloved Zoo Crew (check them out) has once again gone into forced hiatus and hibernation (read more here), I guess I’ll have to rely on some hamsters for a sense of whimsy (mixed, of course, with some high-octane action). Here’s hoping Steven pulls through, if you’re gonna’ kill one how about the Rock (I’m already tired of him laying the Smackdown), and they are given an opportunity to live and fight for a few more days to come. Now, if they could only come up with a catchy theme song…