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Jun 03, 2011 Web Exclusive By Jeremy Nisen

The Adventures of Dr. McNinja: Night Powers is a funny book, and its creator, Christopher Hastings, is multi-talented—solid art, solid story, and nice pacing. The 200-page collection, reprinted from the web comic of the same name, is a nice package in which any concerns over translating from one medium to another are mostly misplaced. (The pages each have the original “Alt Text” messages printed below; this is the only distracting vestigial web element. While often funny, they don’t do much for the story.)

The very concept of a doctor/ninja and his mustachioed 12-year-old, dinosaur-riding sidekick, Gordito, is ripe with possibilities, and Hastings executes on most fronts. Sparklelord, the motorcycle that is a unicorn, is such a funny concept when you say it aloud; the book is chock-full of similar tidbits (though that’s probably the funniest). Dr. McNinja’s feud with King Radical is a highlight (especially the parts where the unicorn/motorcycle factors in); the chapter of an apocalyptic tennis match and the Indiana Jones-style adventure leading up to it was fine, but not quite as sparkly.

On balance, Dr. McNinja is a fine read if you’re looking for something a little lighter (albeit somewhat graphically violent), with plenty of chuckles and an occasional hearty laugh. (www.drmcninja.com)

Author rating: 6/10