The young girl known as Wisp has been taken by the sprite Twink into Rainbow Land, a realm where the King of Shadows has been capturing the Guardians of various colors. Why can Wisp see and strike the minions of the King and what does this mean for her and her friend, Willow? Rainbow Brite #2 from Dynamite Entertainment is on your local comic shop shelves now!

RAINBOW BRITE #2 REVIEW

Writer: Jeremy Whitley
Artist: Brittney Williams
Cover: Pailie Ganucheau
Publisher:  Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 14th, 2018
Cover Price:  $3.99

Previously in RAINBOW BRITE: Young Wisp and her friend Willow had spent a hard day LARPing in the woods around Willows house when a rainstorm began. Arriving at her home, Wisp is shocked to discover monsters draining the color from her mother’s blue car, and she rushed outside to stop them. As she runs from the monsters, she is saved by the actions of her friend Willow and a small sprite named Twinkle. Teleporting to Rainbow Land to save her, the drab world looks like anything but rainbows. As we begin, Wisp and Twinkle are on the run from more of the King of Shadows minions.

TRUE COLORS NEVER FADE

With a giant Shadow Hound on their tails, Twinkle leads the young Wisp into a heavy wilderness in an attempt to escape. But despite the close quarters, the animal is determined. It seems that is can track them by their colors, and right now they are the most colorful thing we can see. In a flash of inspiration, Wisp directs Twink to dive to the ground and join her as she covers herself with the drab leaves which cover the ground, effectively cutting off the scent of their colors and thwarting their pursuer. Twink tells Wisp that the giant dog was not always dangerous, and was at one time a regular dog and quite friendly, but after the King of Shadows drained the color from it, is became his tool to hunt down the remaining colors in Rainbow Land. But the pair doesn’t have time to set on their duffs, as the evil scientist known as Murky Dismal in the area. Dismal is another minion of the King of Shadows, and works independently to collect the remaining colors, using them to fuel his creations. It seems that color as a tool is common in this world, and Wisp begins to explain the nature of Rainbow Land. Each color in our world comes from Rainbow Land, and the colors are mined by other sprites like Twink. As the King of Shadows steals those colors, they also fade from our world, and eventually it will become as gray and drab as the Rainbow Land they are currently in. The only hope for returning the colors is for the return of the legendary hero, Rainbow Brite. She, with her Star Scepter and Rainbow Belt, can use the powers of the full prism. Although it has been ages since she was last in their world, Twinkle believes that Wisp may be the next Rainbow Brite, a prospect which seems unlikely to the young girl. But before anything can be determined, the pair must first perform a raid on Murky Dismal’s lab, and find what they can to help their cause.

A WONDERFUL JOURNEY TO A LAND IN TURMOIL

Rainbow Brite was originally created in 1983 by Hallmark Cards, who created a television cartoon and a movie, as well as licensing the franchise to Mattel so they could create toys and other merchandise. It has been rebooted multiple times, and each time has been met with varying degrees of success. This new series, written by Jeremy Whitley (Princeless, My Little PontyL Legends of Magic) seems prepared to continue the legacy of the character, and is setting the stage to possibly integrate the previous reboots into its current continuity, or not. With this second issue, we have not found out much about the world, other than the fact that there have been many Rainbow Brites in the past, and they have been the guardians of the colors. Whitley’s writing is very simple, but at the same time it can be appreciated by children as well as adults. My own ten-year-old daughter let out an OOOOOHHH! of appreciation when she saw me reading this issue. As for myself, I feel that it is something that treats young girls as more than just set pieces and a target audience. With his history of publication, it is clear that Whitley is prepared to make Rainbow Brite a strong and independent character while staying true to the heart of a franchise so many have fallen in love with over the years.

Brittany L. Williams (Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat!, Goldie Vance) is a wonderful choice for the art. She has a solid style which embraces the whimsical, but at the same time is detailed enough to keep your eyes on the page. She has a great eye for angles and staging, and the overall look just fit for what you would want from a Rainbow Brite series. I can’t wait to see how she draws the rest of the cast in future issues.

BOTTOM LINE: A WONDERFUL BOOK FOR OLDER FANS AND A GREAT BOOK FOR NEW ONES

It is a sign of a good comic when you can take someone with little to no interest in a franchise and convert them into a fan based on two issues, but that is exactly what Whitley and Williams have done. I was my daughter’s age when Rainbow Brite first appeared on the scene, and while it did not hold much appeal to me then, times change. The story presented in this issue is solid, setting the stage for the conflict and giving you the rules of the world without feeling like an information dump. The character designs, to this point, have been excellent, and the characterizations of young Wisp is wonderful.

RAINBOW BRITE #2 is a refreshing update to an older franchise that feels smart and new. Recognizing that every girl is a potential hero, it looks like it could be one of those titles to make memories for a whole new generation.