THE EMERALD YETI ALL-COLOR ACTION SPECIAL, from Near Mint Press on IndyPlanet, recounts five tales of emerald adventure when the Emerald Yeti travels back in time to find a magic fruit, stops a crabby condo trespasser, make a time-traveling mistake, saves a marital spat from escalating, and asks for help on a Sunday visit.
The Details
- Written by: Kenn Minter
- Art by: Clarence Pruitt, Sterling Clark, Michael Neno, Kenn Minter
- Colors by: Kenn Minter
- Letters by: Kenn Minter
- Cover art by: Kenn Minter, Clarence Pruitt
- Comic Rating: All Ages
- Cover price: $7.99
- Release date: Available Now
Is It Good?
THE EMERALD YETI ALL-COLOR ACTION SPECIAL is a hoot and a half for readers who appreciate reading about a character’s (mis)adventures at different times and through different artistic styles but with a keen focus on having a good time. Kenn Minter’s creation is certainly a unique superhero with a snarky personality and powers to match, and these adventures are just as action-packed as they are amusing.
Anthologies are typically hit or miss, but THE EMERALD YETI ALL-COLOR ACTION SPECIAL has a leg up because Kenn Minter, Emerald Yeti’s creator, has a hand in all writing duties, which helps to keep the character’s voice and personality consistent throughout. The only major difference is in the art contributions for each short, which are significantly different from each other while still complementing each other with a bright, fun tone.
In all, THE EMERALD YETI ALL-COLOR ACTION SPECIAL is a fun anthology that serves as an excellent jumping-on point for new readers. Some shorts are stronger than others, but even the weakest short is interesting enough to be memorable.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
As with all our anthology reviews, we’ll cover each in brief and highlight what worked or didn’t.
Ntombinde meets the Emerald Yeti
The Emerald Yeti (EM) travels back in time to find the tree that produces magical fruit to save the life of his Magnificent Mob cohort, Jiyu. When EM arrives in the past, he’s greeted by a formidable jungle woman who helps him confront the current keeper of the magic tree, Shango.
If you’re new to the Emerald Yeti, his adventures are an entertaining mix of Golden Age wholesomeness and Silver Age wackiness, sprinkled with referential jokes that poke fun at modern-ish culture. Jokes aside, EM’s adventure in the past is a lighthearted romp with tons of adventure and action for a fun read.
Condominium of Conundrums
EM takes a job as a maintenance worker at a seaside condo complex during the 1970s. When one of the tenants complains about an unusually loud scratching noise in the vents, EM finds an intruder much bigger than a beach rat.
Minter’s take on the monster in the walls would make for an effective horror comic, but the fear elements are offset by EM’s unflappable snarkiness. It’s a fun read but not as scary as the subject matter suggests.
Young Ninja Witch
Young EM and Young Ninja Witch travel back through a time tunnel to their home time. When Young Ninja Witch asks Young EM if he said or did anything that would disrupt history, Young EM says ‘no’ when he really means ‘yes.’
This is a cute short, drawn and written in the style of a kids’ cartoon. On the one hand, this short does well to show EM at a different stage of life (he’s still in diapers) to open up a world of storytelling possibilities ala Superman and Superboy. On the other hand, the story doesn’t conclude and ends at the start of the conflict, so it’s less than satisfying.
The Magnificent Mob
Little Miss Fantastic and Super-Ego wonder if their neighbors truly like them, leading to a self-examination of their unappealing hosting habits. Before the chat turns into a full-blown row, the married super-couple is called by EM to help with a super-villain attack.
When you have known associates and teams of a lead superhero, it’s always nice to shine the occasional spotlight on supporting characters. The story is almost entirely devoid of EM or superheroics, but it’s an amusing vignette showing a married couple struggling with everyday problems outside of being superheroes.
The Emerald Yeti Sunday Comic
EM visits a former superhero colleague, Diana, to recruit mentors and trainers for a new team in the works. Diana turns down the offer by explaining a turning point in her career as a crime fighter.
The final short in this anthology is drawn in Sunday paper comic strip style, and it indeed evokes the feeling of reading a Sunday comic strip. That said, the shortness of the story doesn’t provide a complete beginning, middle, and end, so it’s tough to tell the strip’s point or get a complete idea of what’s happening. It reads like you’re coming into the middle of the conversation without the context. In fairness, picking up in the middle of the scene is a Sunday comic strip hallmark, so this short succeeds in style if not substance.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
(Click this link 👇 to order this comic)
THE EMERALD YETI ALL-COLOR ACTION SPECIAL is a fun, lighthearted, and action-packed anthology starring indie comics’ most heroic green robot cryptid. Each short by different artists is squarely focused on fun and adventure with a dash of snarky humor to boot.
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.