Uncanny Valley #8 Review

 

Writer: Tony Fleecs

Artist: Dave Wachter

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Dave Wachter & Tony Fleecs

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 26, 2025

 

The Human world is chaotic. People don’t plan their days or their lives. They do what they want without regard for others. It doesn’t surprise the First that wars kill people by the thousands or millions. Nor is he shocked by natural disasters. Humans pollute and drain their world’s resources. But when Humans die, the Cartoon world suffers.

 

Oliver never asked to be here. But the First sent crows to capture him. The First also sent his grandfather, Pecos Peet, to escort Oliver to his citadel. Is Oliver safe on his grandpa's farm? Might his mother and Pecos Peet follow him there? Let's grab our pencils and paintbrushes, leap into Uncanny Valley #8, and find out!

 

Story

Dewy introduces Oliver to the other animals on the farm. The dog treats him like a friend and insists that Oliver belongs there. Because Oliver moved around so often, he has struggled to make friends. Oliver is no more used to belonging to a place than he is caring for cartoon animals. Dewy insists that everyone in the cartoon world plays their assigned role. So, when the crows swoop in and try to capture Oliver again, Dewy and the animals don't follow Oliver into the Pixiedust Forest.

 

In Pixiedust Forest, Oliver meets Spriteleigh. Oliver empathizes with Spriteleigh’s concerns about where she belongs in Uncanny Valley #8. When her father mistakes Oliver for an ogre, Spriteleigh advocates for him, and her father agrees to help Oliver reunite with his mother and grandfather. But they must be careful, for ogres also live in Pixiedust Forest.

 

In Tony Fleecs' story, the First wants to preserve the cartoon world. He believes he knows how to accomplish this. The First told Pecos Peet to bring Oliver to his citadel for protection. He promised Dewy they would convince Oliver to protect the animals in the cartoon world from erasure. Instead, the First wants to sacrifice this boy to sever the Cartoon world from its creators.

 

Art

Dewy asks Oliver to trust him as they stand in the dry pasture near barren trees. Then crows fill the sky like in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. One bird picks up a pig as Oliver orders the animals into the forest. Yet Oliver races alone through the trees until a voice arrests his flight. He notices a tiny smashed home and a purple pixie with blue hair standing before red and beige mushrooms. The sprites fly while Oliver walks through the forest in Uncanny Valley #8. Their appearance, size, and actions evoke Smurfs befriending Humans.

 

Unlike the Lilliputian realm of Pixiedust Forest, Margaret drives her minivan past gray boulders and evergreens beneath a hazy orange sky. Pecos Peet sits beside her, his brown boots resting on the upholstered seat. His rifle lays atop empty cans and disposable coffee cups on the floor. As Pecos Peet struggles to close the distance with his daughter, the cartoon cowboy's flesh and clothes seem too bright for Margaret's world. She may share the same hair color as her father. Yet Dave Wachter paints her with nuance. Shadows and highlights enrich her flesh and clothes. Margaret inhabits a world of darker tones. But then, her world is empty without Oliver in it.

 

Pat Brosseau fills white and colored dialogue balloons with uppercase letters that embolden for inflection and swell for volume. Caws fill the air when Lulu squeals. A flat tire leaves a trail of blue letters as Margaret drives down a road to nowhere. When ogres appear, Oliver's words shrink. Giant brown letters fill an explosive background when Oliver unleashes his cartoon power. Yet the horn of a passing SUV bemoans Margaret's decision to do something she berated her son for in Uncanny Valley #8. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Oliver has spent his life running and never belonged anywhere. When the First threatened his family, Oliver fled once more. In Uncanny Valley #8, Oliver must decide to continue running away from his uniqueness or discover the strength of embracing his heritage.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.