FCBD Comics: Super Dinosaur

The Saturday before last, as you're most likely aware, was Free Comic Book Day. I didn't write anything about Free Comic Book Day before it happened because I have a pretty good idea who my readers are.  I didn't think you needed to be told that the day was coming up or what it was all about.  Now that it has come and gone, I'm going to tell you about the comics I picked up. 
I've always looked at Free Comic Book Day as an opportunity to try something that I might otherwise leave on the racks at the comic shop.  On the first FCBD, I picked up Oni Press's offering, a reprint of the first issue of Hopeless Savages, which has since become one of my all time favorite comics.  So, I passed by the Marvel and DC offerings this year to grab some intriguing looking  books from other publishers. 
My favorite of these is the Super Dinosaur Origin Special published by Image and written by Robert Kirkman with art by Jason Howard.  The comic chronicles the adventures of boy genius Derek Dynamo, who lives in a secret base called the Dynamo Dome at the foot of a mountain, and his best friend, the Super Dinosaur of the book's title, a genetically altered talking Tyrannosaurus Rex outfitted with a special harness that extends his tiny little T-Rex arms and also comes equipped with high tech weaponry and other super-scientific gadgets and gizmos.  Together, they help Derek's father, the world famous scientist Dr. Dynamo, defend the hidden subteranean world of Inner Earth, a land where dinosaurs and only location of the revolutionary power source dubbed Dynore.  The threats to Inner Earth come mostly from villain Max Maximus, Dr. Dynamo's former friend and partner who co-discovered Inner Earth and Dynore and created Super Dinosaur. Maximus intended Super Dinosaur to be a prototype for an army of Super Dinosaurs with which he would take over the world.  He has also created half-human, half-dinosaur creatures called Dyno-Men to help him carry out his evil schemes.
At Packrat Comics last Saturday, a child who looked to be about ten or eleven asked one of the store's employees if Super Dinosaur was "kid friendly."  After reading the book, I would answer the precocious little tyke with a resounding "Hell, YEAH!"  This is a comic I would have loved when I was that kid's age, and I'm pretty darn fond of it now, too.  I have always been a big fan of Jonny Quest, and Super Dinosaur evokes the feel of JQ and similar late 1960's Saturday morning adventure cartoons perfectly, except that it's better animated.
According to the ad at the back of the book, Super Dinosaur #2 goes on sale today.  If you missed the free preview last Saturday, this is definitely a comic worth paying for.