Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs #2 (of 4) – Review

By: Hans Rodionoff, Joel Gomez (pencils), Don Ho (inks), Randy Mayor, and Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

Growing up, I was a huge fan of the original Lost Boys movie. In this comic series, the story turns and focuses on the Frog Brothers and their lives post-Lost Boys. Basically, these two have stayed in the fictitious city of Santa Carla and continue fighting the good fight. Along the way they find out that they didn’t actually kill the head vamp in the events of the movie, so they now need to act fast if their home town is to be saved.

The writing in this book is top notch. The dialogue remains in tune with the movie right down to the terminology. It’s funny, and at times scary, with good twists and turns – the biggest of which is the reveal of the true head-vamp. I won’t say who it is, but fans of the movie will be floored when they read it. Having seen the movie (many times) it didn’t make sense right away, but a little inconsistency is forgivable since every vampire story has its own take on the mythos.

The art here is a little confusing. There isn’t a lot of detail in the character’s faces so it’s hard to tell a lot of them apart. The vampire, David (played by Kiefer Sutherland in the movie), still has that ridiculous spikey-haired mullet, which is a great throw back to the 1980s. Unfortunately, the rest of the art isn’t as detailed or stylized as the cover, which depending on your taste, can be a bad thing. Throughout the book Joel Gomez uses the visual tool of a red silhouette over a black background to great effect – this I liked. It highlights both the action and gore as well.

Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs is a great read for anyone who liked the movie. It has the same cult, classic feel that made the movie so much fun. One thing I really enjoyed is the fact that the paper feels like old school newsprint – not the glossy pages we’re now accustomed to. It may have been a budget thing, or a style choice, but it’s fun either way. If you liked the movie, buy this comic! (Grade: B)

-Ben Berger