Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: May 6, 2015
Price: $24.99
Creator(s): Jim Zub (writer), Felipe Andrade (artist)
Format: 136 pgs., Full-Color, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9099-8
Age Ratings: All Ages
ICv2 Ratings: 4.5 Stars out of 5
This is a fun fantasy romp, based on a character which is apparently only familiar to people who have been to Disney World in Orlando. For whatever reason, this little purple dragon is just now being utilized. If the quality of this story is maintained, Figment is a worthwhile addition to the existing family of Disney characters.
Set in a steampunk world, the basic story is that a "free thinking" scientist is trying to draw energy from the human imagination. It works, but not quite the way he hoped, leading to a small purple dragon and a series of bizarre adventures. It also quickly shows why some people should not be allowed to let their imaginations run free, as the scientist's invention is a bit like a defective wishing well.
Writer Jim Zub managed to create an interesting world for the story, alternating between a steampunk "reality" and a surreal fantasy world of the imagination, and artist Felipe Andrade and colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu did a great job of visualizing the worlds and the story jumping between them.
The story may be too complex for the youngest readers who will gravitate to the little purple dragon, but for older elementary and up it should work well, and hold its appeal for at least some teens and adults.
--Nick Smith: Library Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.