Now reading PvP #38

Reprinted from CBG #1643, here is my review of the video game-related comic book, PvP #38, from Image Comics.

PvP #38 gives readers a handy “who’s who” listing of each character, three of whom are described in terms of their expertise at videogames. Player Versus Player Magazine is dubbed “a hive of nerds and geekery.” So it was a little disappointing (at least to this game geek) that the lead story had nary a videogame reference: not a blip, a bleep, or a Pong.

Aforementioned nitpick aside, there’s plenty to enjoy here, thanks to clean, consistent art, solid storytelling (in a sitcom kind of way), and some laughs. The PvP geeks are less than geeked over the prospect of a new tenant who makes their lives a little less convenient by being a stickler for the rules. This leads to a covert operation, partly involving jealousy over a ping pong table (okay, maybe there is a “pong” reference).

Conversely, the backup feature dishes out videogame vernacular in spades, even going overboard by using the slang word “pwnage,” which seems abrupt and unfunny (in an otherwise amusing yarn).

Written and drawn by Scott Kurtz and Derrick Fish, PvP is A-OK (and then some).

3 (out of 4) stars. $3.50 cover price.