Review: The Jetsons #5

If there world was going to end in two days and you knew about it, what would you do? George, Jane, Judy, Elroy, Astro and Rosie have decided to treat it like any other day. They celebrate family milestones and go to work. Meanwhile a giant life-destroying comet is hurtling towards the Earth. If they can stop that, there is a biological agent that blooming all across the ocean floor and threatening all life. You know, good times for all.

George wakes up and his on again/off again telepathy lets him talk to Astro. He learns that Astro loves him and pancakes. Then the family celebrates his birthday with a breakfast birthday party. Judy has made of movie for George, highlighting all of the family’s big moments. Elroy gives him the painting he went to find in the sunken city and set off the ocean eating biological agent in the first issue. The painting is a multicultural version of one of Norman Rockwell“s family Sunday dinners, but with a birthday twist, in case it wasn’t too on the nose.

Just then George“s assist calls and says he is needed right away for an emergency. It turns out the emergency is that his assistant has been building the most destructive missile in the history of humanity, just for funsies. And she think she can arm it and use it to destroy the asteroid, but she needs George to fly the spaceship one this one-way mission.

In the meantime, Jane and the kids do SCIENCE on the biological substance that is eating all of the sunken cities and threatening the planet may not be what they think it is. Their SCIENCE is interrupted first, when Jane“s co-worker talks to her daughter and learns the lessons of family and then by George calling to say that family is so important, he“s taking on the suicide mission. There is a big twist, but it is spoiled by the issue“s cover, so there“s that.

I“m not sure, but I think that Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn, Painkiller Jane) is trying to say something about family here. It might be too subtle for most people to notice.

The highlight of the book remains Pier Brito“s (Booster Gold/Flintstones Special, DC Meets Hanna-Barbera) modern retro future take on the world. His art is really the excuse to be buying this book and for the most part, he sells this future world and really makes it work. Sadly, it is wasted on this title.

I really don“t get this book. It“s like they took the story from a 30s Flash Gordon serial, covered it with the looks of a 60s cartoon about a family and gave it a little modern polish. I don“t get who this book is for. Who said, “Let“s take the all the humor out of the Jetsons, that“s what people want?”“ This series has run back and forth between the two very close notes of melodrama and schmaltz. After a while it just becomes an irritating buzz. It doesn“t really allow anything else to get in there and results in a tough read.

The good thing is there is only only more issue. Not sure who is reading it, but their misery ends soon.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Pier Brito
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

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Andy Hall

Sent from the future by our Robot Ape overlords to preserve the timeline. Reading and writing about comics until the revolution comes. All hail the Orangutan Android Solar King!