Rip Haywire and The Curse of Tangaroa!. Dan Thompson (Writer and Artist). IDW Publishing (2011)

A hugely enjoyable and engaging adventure comic that is also laugh out loud funny. Rip Haywire was born to adventure, working with is mother on top secret missions during his school holidays. When Rip has the chance to meet up again with the extremely dangerous Cobra Carson and find the ghost compass he naturally leaps straight in. The following adventure is jet powered two-fisted adventure as Rip discovers that the past is more dangerous than any pit of alligators. The story moves at break neck speed, the action scenes are fantastic, the jokes are superb and the climax unexpected and moving.
Dan Thompson has created something special with Rip Haywire, a thoroughgoing adventure that takes itself seriously enough for the jokes to deliver, they never undercut the story, they enhance it. Rip Haywire is the perfect updating of the adventures from the heroes of previous generations of newspaper strips. He lives for adventure, travels a world full of hidden tombs, elaborate traps in steamy jungles and never met a villain he was not happy to punch.
Cobra Carson is equally iconic, an hourglass figure, and as dangerous as her namesake, she is the femme fatale who doubles as the damsel in distress when needed who finds her soulmate with Rip.
Two walking cliches that should just be stale and faded burst into glorious life due to the stunning combination of Dan Thompson's writing and wonderful art.
The art is deceptively simple, the context is never very detailed, it does not need to be, enough to set the scene for the wonderfully expressive cast. All of the cast, including the walk on parts are given the spark of life that engages the reader so that the action always has depth and consequences. Slathered with humour it is never ridiculous, Dan Thompson clearly established the terms of the story and delivers wholesale. The heroes are larger than life, the villains are completely villainous, the clash is epic. Threaded throughout this is the relationship between Rip and his mother and Cobra and Rip, it is never shortchanged nor is it pushed at the expense of the action. It brings the required depth and humanity to Rip, Cobra and Rip's mother and gives the story the weight it needs to drive the climax.
As well as being a great fun read this is a great comic, it uses the possibilities of mixing art and story with tremendous skill, confidence and talent. Dan Thompson has made a very difficult task look easy and natural, an unlimited pleasure.