Kid Slapshot vs The Lou-Natic ends the first part of Keenspot’s Marvel parody on a satisfying note. The gags and seesawing slap fights might be fun, but you gotta know when and how to move on. All the while leaving readers with something to look forward to.
Kid Slapshot vs The Lou-Natic Backstory
Just look at my Kid Slapshot vs Zomboni review or read the comic!
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Alright, long story short: Slapshot found a new home away from his old planet full of monsters who wanted to eat him. Only for the guy who got him off of it in the first place, Lookie Lou, to send monsters to Earth as payback. Slapshot wrecked Lou’s house. But Lou wasn’t supposed to do anything at all. Now, they gotta settle things.
Goes Around, Comes Around
Tony Dongarra centers this finale on how dumb the rivalry is between the title characters. As much as how readers like to laugh at Slapshot or Lou getting their comeuppances, the joke can get old quickly. So seeing someone as surreal as the universe incarnate shaking Lou to his core is awe-inspiring. It shows that while Lou’s methods for hating Slapshot are understandable, he’s ultimately still responsible for things going wrong. As for Slapshot, his arc serves as a good core of this issue and the series overall. He started off as a kid with no sense of consequence, but here Slapshot finds ways to connect with Lou. He makes genuine pleas on Lou’s behalf, grateful for giving him a better shot and apologizing for wrecking Lou’s house, recognizing what it’s like to not have a good home.
And the resolution to it all? Just the right the blend of character arcs and surreal tone.
Kid (Cosmic) Slapshot!
Because when anything cosmic comes into play, things get weirdly fun. Billy Parker’s colors makes every scene with big developments stand out. Like a gigantic, golden Mr. Universe contestant standing out among the purples and reds. With how much space Mr. Universe takes up, Lou’s invisible torso makes him look twice as vulnerable. Even Slapshot looks more prominent than Lou in the corner of the splash page despite taking up so little space.
Meanwhile wizard’s duel of the century Kid Slapshot vs The Lou-Natic is a seesaw of slapstick. There are a few visual gags parodying different media. But the ones characters try to take seriously feel like overcompensating, with the visual flares looking more impressive than the Thundercats prop itself. Slapshot naturally steals the show with more creative tools like a sewage cannon from his foot and shooting ghost peppers up Lou’s nose.
Kid Slapshot vs The Lou-Natic is Great Pay (For Less) Off
All of the nonsense and gags are great, but what really makes this issue good is how this saga wraps up without sacrificing emotional cores. Not just gags and comeuppances, but pulling at heartstrings that don’t forcibly shift the mood. It makes Slapshot feel like he really has grown as a person and the expenses on Lou are deserved. The only thing readers have to ask is: what happens next? Final score: 8.5/10.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.