BILL AND TED ARE DOOMED #1/ Script by EVAN DORKIN/ Art, Colors & Letters by ROGER LANGRIDGE/ Cover by EVAN DORKIN & SARA DYER/ Variant Cover by ROGER LANGRIDGE/ Consultation by ED SOLOMON/ Published by DARK HORSE COMICS
It is 2700 AD and humanity has finally achieved Utopia, building a perfect society based on peace, freedom and equality. And it is all thanks to the music of Wyld Stallyns – a most excellent rock band from the turn of the 21st Century, who produced a song of such perfect aesthetic beauty that it couldn’t help but unite all those who heard it.
There’s just one small problem. Despite the band’s founders, Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted “Theodore” Logan, overcoming many challenges (including a duel with Death and escaping Hell) they have yet to get around to actually writing the perfect song. But the clock is still ticking in San Dimas, California, where Bill and Ted have come to the year 2000 with no song and no clue of where to go next, as they must overcome the one great challenge that all true artists must face; paying the bills without getting a “real job.”
Fun Fact: Back in the day, there was an official Bill & Ted comic book. It was written and drawn by Evan Dorkin (yes, the Milk & Cheese guy) and got nominated for an Eisner. It’s widely considered to be a perfect encapsulation of the spirit of the original Bill & Ted films and a most worthy inclusion into the Bill & Ted mythos. Naturally, when it came time to craft a comic book prequel to the long-awaited third Bill & Ted movie, Dorkin was the obvious choice. But he did not come into this project alone. Not this time. The art chores are being handled by the non-non-non heinous Roger Langridge, whose work on the Boom! Studios Muppet Show Comic Book was equally well-received and praised by Muppet fans, as a spiritual sequel to the original.
Unsurprisingly, Dorkin and Langridge prove to be as excellent a pairing as Bill and Ted themselves. Dorkin’s script captures the voices of all the characters from the movies as well as Langridge caricatures their likenesses. Yet Bill And Ted Are Doomed goes beyond simple puns and referential jokes based around Bill and Ted using the wrong words. There is a heart to this production that makes you root for Bill and Ted. Despite their being totally oblivious to the realities of adulthood, they are sympathetic figures who do their best to try and support their families and friends (except for the ever-abused Death, of course) and their insular focus on writing the song is born of their desire to ensure the better future they are meant to inspire. Despite their limited success and the destiny that awaits them, Bill & Ted have not changed. That is both their blessing and their curse.
In short, this is a fantastic looking comic, with colorful, animated art that seems to jump off the page and a spirited story. If you’re a Bill & Ted fan, you’ll want to pick this one up. It is most excellent and non-bogus.
