The handheld stuffed Disney tsum tsum characters invaded North American shores in July of 2014, and they have only grown in popularity. Now Marvel Comics has brought us the latest iteration of the pint sized stuffed characters in Marvel Tsum Tsum Issue #1. When I first started reading this comic, I wondered how on Earth they could make a Japanese novelty toy part of the Marvel universe.
The Marvel world, television, movies, and comics are well known, and those that are new Marvel comic readers will connect with the little tiny Tsum Tsum figures. I have yet to be disappointed in a comic. For the most part they all have a formula, the question of how good the comic is depends on the execution of the formula. The popular heroes of the Marvel world are everywhere in Marvel Tsum Tsum Issue #1, but the heroic exploits of the superheroes are the supporting characters that provide a backdrop to the main story.
The Tsum Tsum characters crash land on Earth only to be rescued by three kids who are the biggest fans of the Avengers. Writer Jacob Chabot has taken the Tsum Tsum and made them destined for the Collector, only to be lost in transit. By doing this he has justified their place in the world. By using the Marvel characters that are well known as window dressing to tell the story of these oddly oval shaped characters, writer Chabot has allowed the reader to say that it’s okay, these novelty items belong here.
Like all good origin stories, our heroes, the Tsum Tsum, meet kind and caring human beings, kids, who may not understand them but have their best interest in mind and help to protect them. The artwork is very different from other Marvel comics, whereas we have the connection with the regular characters, the tone and the use of color in the comic signal to the reader that this is a different view into the world that many have experienced either through the comics, television, or Marvel movie world.
Much like any good origin story, the Tsum Tsum demonstrate their powers to the kids. Just as many other comics have done before we end with a cliffhanger.
My Opinion
I do not understand my children’s interest in Tsum Tsum characters. I have some around the house that occasionally appear and then disappear to be found again at a later time. I do know that when the kids see them for sale at the Disney Store, they will want some, and I will buy them. The idea of a comic based on these little characters seems like a bad idea, but it isn’t.
Creativity has made the little Tsum Tsum’s a relevant connection to the Marvel world, and the story is well written to keep me interested and want to read on. The best part is that I would read Marvel Tsum Tsum Issue #1 to my kids, and I know they would enjoy it. This is a friendly and easy comic that parents could read to their kids, and not worry about the images they see. Who cares if the main characters are based on a stuffed animal? For years the comics always resulted in toys being made from the stories, so why not make a comic out of a toy?