ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Bill and Ted Save the Universe’ Softcover Trade Paperback

The Wyld Stallyns, a rock band composed of two stellar dudes, explodes into a five-issue collected run, Bill & Ted Save the Universe, published by the fine folks at Boom! Studios and written by Brian Joines, with artwork done by illustrator Bachan, colors by Alex Guimarães, and letters by Jim Campbell. This story continues the misadventures of Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted “Theodore” Logan, the time-traveling slackers responsible for saving whole worlds and timelines with their epic musical prowess and dumb-smart antics.

This book is a continuation of the films Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991). If you’ve never encountered either film, don’t fret. This collected edition gives you enough background on the duo to get you caught up, all the while telling its own tale of weird galactic intrigue and family matters. Bill and Ted can traverse time via a funky old-school telephone booth (comparisons to Dr. Who are apparent, kinda) and guided by Rufus, a shady historian from the future.

The tale begins with such an episode of saving a historic figure from peril. There are enough jokes and foolishness with that escapade alone to set the stage that this is not a grim comic by any means. What follows is a cosmic journey wherein our heroes are the subject of a judicial investigation that reveals some perilous family drama.

Now for me, I haven’t thought about Bill and Ted, nor wanted to, since the movies came out. They weren’t for me. Tacky is the word I‘d use to describe them. Which is weird, considering I like insane tales with oddball characters. That being said, this collected edition held my interest, mainly for the solid pacing by Joines, and the way he added details into the lives of Bill and Ted. I also enjoyed the art by Bachan, cartoonish yet innovative. I never once thought that the simpler facial structure looked different from the actors who played Bill and Ted.

The story is a comic book festival of explosions, aliens, and quirky looking individuals and I loved gazing at it. The art paired nicely with Guimarães’ color scheme, which reminded me again how much I’m loving colors in comic books these days. Oh, and I can’t forget to say that after a weekend spent reading Boom! Studios comics, Campbell deserves a shout out for most stellar lettering in this and other Boom! Studios books.

For a guy like me who is not fond of the movies, I was able to sit back and take this book for what it is: a friendly, fun, goofy escapist jaunt across time and space enhanced by the issues of one cosmically dysfunctional family, and two heroic figures. Bill and Ted remain the same mostly, start to finish, but those in their circle change, grow and affect greatly, the universe they inhabit. Well done.

Now, I want to go watch the movies. Doggone it! Bill and Ted Save the Universe softcover trade paperback is available in comic book stores everywhere and online retailers.