Author James Burks started out as an animator for animated movies such as The Iron Giant, The Emperors New Groove, and Treasure Planet to name a few, as well as working on recent animated tv shows such as The Powerpuff Girls Reboot and Bravest Warriors. His most well-known publications were a series of comics titled Bird and Squirrel which finds the said animals in hilarious hijinks that are funny and adventurous. Following his success with those graphic novels, In 2021, James Brooks would release his newest creation, Agent 9 in a story of wacky secret agent hijinks titled Flood-A-Geddon which would mark the first time for me to be introduced to this author's cartoony and zany style of writing and illustrating.
Agent 9 is a confidant and competent secret agent who is also a cat. After being put on probation for her clumsy actions when trying to stop evil threats, Agent 9 is given one more chance to redeem herself as she finds herself in the middle of an evil plot by King Crab as he plans to melt the polar ice caps and flood the earth so he can build his own water park. The only thing standing in his way is Agent 9 as well as her robotic assistant FiN who will try to put an end to Crab’s plans before he can initiate Flood-A-Geddon.
The best way to describe this comic is adorable, cartoony, adventurous, and overall funny and self-aware. The feel of reading this comic is almost like watching an animated series but on paper. The storytelling has that classic good old-fashioned cartoon vibe while putting a fun and adorable spin on secret agent-like narratives. The author's background in animation explains how the characters and story almost feel like something you'd see in a cartoon made in the 90s or early 2000s. There are character-building moments, but the novel never forgets to have fun with itself to make the reader feel like they're on the ride of a lifetime. The humor is silly and nonsensical, but it's also very charming and it knows how to talk to kids while still giving them something to laugh along with.
The Characters are simple but effective and Brooks delivers on classic character cliches as if they are being told for the very first time. Agent 9 will no doubt be relatable to many kids and even some parents for her suave but also adorable dialogue that will make anyone reading smile. She won’t be alone as her robotic assistant FiN also gets some time to shine even despite the fact he only uses one word to talk. King Crab is your classic incompetent villain who you’d think would get old after a while but the writing and pacing know how much incompetence to show from our villain while still making him funny and a decent threat. If there is a sequel on the way, I would love to see more characters work alongside Agent 9, but the cast that we do get satisfies well enough to make for an enjoyable secret agent mission.
The Illustrations are adorable and simple. Even with a simplistic style, the characters and backgrounds are very expressive and full of life. Agent 9’s cute character design, in particular, is very engaging to watch and her wide range of expressions is just a joy to comprehend. Panels are laid out in an interesting and even action-packed way when the story picks up the pace. You’ll also find that there are just as many panels that are dialogue-heavy as there are scenes with no dialogue mainly made to show the illustrations in all their glory. These illustrations are so good that they make me wish I could see them in an animated series which just emphasizes how much the author understands how to create imagery that can dazzle and bring a sense of joy and adventure.
I’ve never read any of James Brooks Bird and Squirrel comics, but if Agent 9 has shown me anything it's that this author clearly has talent in creating fun stories that will definitely enchant kids and even bring out a smile to adults who are kids at heart. If you're looking for something challenging and thought-provoking you won’t get it here, but if your looking for something that is just plain fun with likable characters and goofy scenarios, you’ll for sure have a blast reading about Agent 9’s ventures just like I did when I started reading from page one.
(Final Grade: B+)