Are you ready to learn? Sesame Street isn’t just a TV show these days, as it gets its very own comic book series starting this week via Oni Press. The first issue focuses on Grover, who encounters many troubles on the street. It’s a comic that has a lesson and a lot of heart.
There’s something incredibly wholesome about Sesame Street #1. Written by Joey Esposito and illustrated by Austin Bachle, the issue is filled with positivity and hopefulness. And if you’re wondering, this comic is definitely for kids of the age who’d watch this show.
Told as one longer story, it opens with Grover waking up for the day hopeful for what’s to come. Soon, he’s on the street and encountering problems his friends are having. He doesn’t necessarily have the answers, but he knows if he keeps walking, a solution will come to him. As he walks about, he encounters more friends with problems, from the Count to Elmo. The resounding lesson: Maybe we can’t solve problems ourselves, but we sure can increase the odds of finding a solution if we work together!
Count is kinda nuts for counting leaves, right?
Credit: Oni Press
Overall, it’s a fairly basic setup that little kids will like. The creative team manages to stuff a lot of familiar Muppets into this production, and Esposito does a good job keeping the dialogue simple and plain so kids age 10 or younger will have no problem reading it. It’s nice to put a subtitle on the cover, which clearly shows what the comic will be about.
On the other hand, I don’t know how many teens or adults will pick this up. It’s a straightforward story told, so I imagine little kids will love it most.
Shawn Lee’s letters make it super clean and easy to read, so there should be no trouble there. There’s a good emphasis throughout, with bold and crazy letters, when Cookie Monster says “Cookies” or how the words “Sesame Street” nearly burst from the word balloon when Grover enters the street. One gripe: as someone who works with preschool and kindergarten kids, I noticed the “a” uses the modern long-stem look, which typically isn’t used for little kids, but it’s a minor detail. Nitpicking, for sure!
Baechle and color artist Alessandro Santoro steal the show with vivid renderings of all these familiar characters. The bright color choices pop and add a positive feel. Although everyone looks accurate and wholesome, Cookie Monster might steal the show with his problem-solving moment.
There is something endearing about Sesame Street getting a big comic release, and the creative team backs that up with a wonderfully positive representation of Sesame Street. Snatch this up if you have a kiddo in your life, but don’t be shy paging through this super cute and totally positive comic. Oni Press has a warm hug of a comic on their hands.
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