Spider-Squirrel & Trash Panda Titan-Sized Special is a comic written by Charlie McElvy with art by Saul Shavanas. These two superheroes have very eventful days apart from each other that share a few similarities. This is an action-packed and humorous comic with references to different properties and a straightforward story. The main man for this story is Spider-Squirrel, a man with superhuman agility and strength who likes to make jokes and can get a bit meta. With him is his best friend Trash Panda, a man who can transform into a panda and is similarly comedic. There are a few other friends and foes we’ll see that have some personality. The story begins with a surprising and confusing situation after which our heroes take different paths literally. Trash Panda has an errand to run and Spider-Squirrel goes on patrol. This story takes place in a world full of superfolk so seeing them in public isn’t a shock to people. The action here is violent with some hard-hits but no blood or gore. The pacing is steady with a good balance between fast and slow moments. The tone is light-hearted like 90’s superhero cartoons with plenty of humor and one or two fourth wall breaks. These characters like to narrate out loud what is going on so there are quips and attack descriptions galore. There aren’t any wordy pages here. This is a new journey with familiar characters that has the same kind of excitement we’ve experienced before but with a bit more baggage.

           After the main comic there are nine smaller stories and because that is an anthology I will include them in my anthology round-up that you can read here: Crowdfund Comic Anthologies I’ve Read in 2023 Part 2

            The art here is drawn with a chiseled realism and some top-notch shading while maintaining a wide color range. There is a smoothness here consistent with some modern comics. The scenery is mostly buildings made from various stone-based materials due to this taking place in a city. The locations change frequently but include a home, a warehouse, a store, alleys, places filled with trailers, this story gets around. Each place has enough objects and character that’ll let you know where you are pretty fast. The expression level here is high as these characters have a new look nearly every panel. The range is pretty vast with all kinds of emotions apart from the sadder ones. The faces here are very detailed and show every look with clarity. The violence here is hard hitting and free of blood and gore. The action scenes are generally easy to follow but you might get tripped up a bit. Most of the costumes here are skin-tight and sometimes that have a clear theme.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like comics starring two superheroes in a world full of superfolk with comedy and pop culture references then this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

PG-13. Violence.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“Spectacular? Isn’t that the other guy’s adjective?”

 

Digital Link: https://www.xionstudios.com/products/spider-squirrel-trash-panda-titan-sized-special-1-digital

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/watchguard/the-spider-squirrel-and-trash-panda-titan-sized-special/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 24

Violent Pages: 9, for 38% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 1, for 4% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 3

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 1

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 1

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 3

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”