Craniacs Vol 1 Review

 

Craniacs Vol 1 Review

Creators: Ira Friedman & Joe Simko

Writer: Sholly Fisch

Artist & Cover Artist: Joe Simko

Colorist: Valentina Bianconi

Letterer: Dave Lentz

Editor: Jonathan Wilkins

Designer: Matt Bookman

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: July 21, 2026

 

As the chieftain's son, Rocky has a duty to be the best smasher around. When he's not smashing things with his club or playing drums along to the latest Ozzy Ozbone single, Rocky hangs out with Phoebe, an artist who enjoys painting murals on boulders.

 

While Rocky and Phoebe enjoy their days in Retrovia, Bo and Darby zoom through the skies of Futurra on their hoverboard and hover skates. The competitive children are always looking for the next challenge. How will they react when they meet Rocky and Phoebe? And can Retrovia and Futurra survive when their two worlds collide? Let’s leap into Craniacs Vol 1 and see!

 

Story

Rocky wakes up on Shatterday to find his mother stomping on Devan's plans for the day's ceremony. When Chieftain Riley insists her son take a bath, Rocky reluctantly heads to the lake, where he also captures a fish for breakfast. Then he takes a ride to school along with Phoebe, where they sit around a campfire while their leader tells them about Shatterday.

 

In Craniacs Vol 1, Bo dashes out of his bedroom when he awakens. He doesn't have time to sit down for breakfast like his sister. But as he rushes off to school on his hoverboard, his sister follows him on her hoverskates. Their friends at school catch a glimpse of the race as they ride in the hoverbus to Napoleon Bone-Apart Skullastic Middle School. In the classroom, their teacher tells them about Shatterday, which celebrates the day two planets became one.

 

Unfortunately, no one regards the joining as a good thing. In Sholly Fisch's story, the leaders of both worlds view their counterparts with suspicion. But for the kids, it's just another day. When Phoebe finds the perfect spot for her next mural, she invites Rocky to see it. In Futurra, Darby dares Bo to brave the dangers of Retrovia.

 

When the four children meet, they view the strangers through the lenses of their cultural biases. As Rocky, Phoebe, Bo, and Darby get to know each other, they discover that their two worlds have much to offer each other. But to continue having fun together, the children must keep their friendships a secret in Craniacs Vol 1.

 

Art

Joe Simko introduces the cast with a series of trading cards. Rocky sleeps in a hammock, clutching drumsticks. While a Craniac skull supports a lamp, his mother reclines on a throne of dinosaur skulls. Despite their closeness to nature, a prehistoric creature repurposed as a school bus sports exhaust pipes. And as the schoolteacher teaches his students, a hologram appears above a firepit.

 

When Bo rises from a bathtub-shaped bed, last night's snacks rest on a hovering end table. He dashes into the kitchen, plucking his helmet from a hovering bowl not laden with fruit or packaged food. While Valentina Bianconi enhances both worlds with vibrant color, purple adorns Rocky and Riley's skin. The flagstones and the cliff bearing Phoebe's mural are purple. As Bo and Darby soar above hovering vehicles and fly past (or through) purple towers, Bo’s blue coloring and Darby’s green helmet and clothes suggest that the Futurrans also retain a closeness to nature.

 

Dave Lentz fills white balloons and colored boxes with black and colored uppercase letters. The letters grow bold and swell with raised voices. Lowercase letters represent lowered voices. Electrifying colorful dialogue accompanies the kids’ youthful exuberance for life, phone calls from worried parents, and a bird’s wake-up call. Colorful sound effects amplify Rocky and Riley's smashing, Bo and Darby's race past honking vehicles, competitive water sports, and Phoebe's favorite new art form. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

At first glance, Retrovia and Future have nothing in common. Each culture blames the other for having to share their divided world. Most children accept their cultures' teachings and observe the warning signs lining the border. Their parents may fear their neighbors. Still, the rulers' children decide to forge a better future for their world in Craniacs Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Craniacs Vol 1.