Conventions to me are a great place to meet people. The fun. The weird. The scantly clad cosplayers. The creators. Being on the other side of the table as it were I find that some of the most interesting creators are ones that draw comics.

Take Hamster Rage. I met Brian J. Crowley back at the inaugural C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) convention in 2010. At the time, Brian didn’t have a book, but he had cute little dolls that were hand painted and he had passion for his comic. (Check out his first interview in the C2E2 2010 videos section)

This time around Brian was with his wonderful wife and had Hamster Rage finally in print! I was so excited that I had to interview him again, and did. (see C2E2 2011 interview).

Now, I’ve finally been able to go through it and thus, here is the review.

We start off with a great synopsis on the inside cover:

“The world’s best super hero is a shuper heroine. Her name is MegaBabe. After years of struggle this has finally been her year. Bad guys are locked up, disasters have been avoided, she’s good at leading her team “The Allied Force” and great at keeping her identity top secret.

Then her childhood pet came back into her life. His name is Roosevelt. He’s changed a bit, now he’s a little over eight feet tall, super strong, invulnerable and has the mind of a hyperactive child. He’s hungry for chaos and cheddar and he’s maanging to get both.

This was supposed to be her year… but now it’s his.”

While this book has a ton of action, great dialog, and unique characters, you are left with more questions that aren’t answered.

From how Roosevelt got his super powers. To why would you attack an extraterrestrial space craft with an ’86 Plymouth Hatchback when a Pinto would do more damage in less time. To why can’t all the superheros just get along with poor little/big Roosevelt.

The dialog in the comic is entertaining and the characters have their own voices and while the story is just starting I do want to see where it goes.

The art by Brian J. Crowley is well done and the action sequences really lift you off your feet (and most of the supers that inadvertently, or advertently attack Roosevelt). The superheroes are entertaining and they have the makings of a Justice League of their own.

The colour was done by two creative talents. Primarily by Rachelle Rosenberg (pages 3-10 and 17-24) and Marc Lewis (pages 11-16) both do a great job and it’s hard to tell who has done what. That shows true professionalism.