Tony Stark Meets Richie Rich: Ghost Machine’s ‘The Trillion Dollar Kid’ #1 Review
by Olly MacNamee
Summary
The Trillion Dollar Kid #1 follows the adventures of teen trillionaire, Tommy Noble Townsend III, as he bring joy to his town through philanthropic deeds like building a rollercoaster to get you to school. A fun, frothy comic that feels like an animation in the making thanks to the art of Stefano Simeone.
Overall
8.5/10You can forget our reality, because in the Ghost Machine universe, the first trillionaire is a kid. A very clever kid, admittedly, but a kid, nonetheless. And it’s this child that fronts the latest new comic book series coming from Image Comics/Ghost Machine being rolled out as part of its “The Unbelievables” initiative.
Tommy Noble Townsend III gave his family a fortune when he invented a sticking plaster that didn’t hurt when you tore it off your skin. Unlike Musk, Townsend used part of his fortune to help his community. Pizzas airdropped to every household each Friday night, free lemonade fountains, pouring hot chocolate in the winter, and more. Turning his hometown into a virtual theme park with every resident happy and fulfilled. He’s Tony Stark meets Richie Rich.
As with any debut issue, character, setting and motivations have to be established, quickly and effectively. And writers Geoff Johns and Peter J Tomasi do this well through Tommy’s narration. We learn that his parents are living a double life – coming home from foreign climes with enough physical damage to foreshadow their involvement in something darker and disturbing down the road. Which becomes particularly obvious as the narrative unfolds.
During this issue, we also meet all the supporting characters we need to. Along with his parents, a sister and an estranged friend we meet Tommy’s robot butler, Sterling, the perfect brawny sidekick to Tommy’s brains. A supportive family and a loyal butler. It’s all very optimistic in tone and in visuals. A comic that perfectly captures the optimism of the lead character’s exuberance with artwork to match. Stefano Simeone’s art and mostly bright colours make the reading experience of The Trillion Dollar Kid #1 more like reading a storyboard for a new animated feature. An appropriate style given the subject matter. It’s a good look with Simeone’s art full of joyous energy and wonder.
Of course, this book does tie into a bigger picture, but it would seem from this first issue you really don’t necessarily need to pick up any other comic to enjoy this one. I did.
The Trillion Dollar Kid #1 is out now from Image Comics/Ghost Machine