Mini-Jon’s Experiments 1

Fans of Alex A.’s “Super Agent Jon le Bon” graphic novel series will recognize the Agent Jon who is being referenced in the excerpt above, but, even if readers don’t make the connection, the opening 14-page of Mini-Jon’s Experiments 1, “Mini-Jon: The Creation”, will provide all the information they need in order to follow the book’s episodic plot.

The Agency, having learned that “President Tiberius is working on an extremely dangerous machine that will allow him to control the world”, has dispatched two agents to find out exactly what Tiberius is working on. It turns out the “what” is actually a “who” – a clone of Agent Jon le Bon. The technician’s concerns (see Excerpt) are borne out when the machine produces not a full-sized clone of Jon le Bon, but a Mini-Jon, and a “forever” child version at that. Thrilled at the president’s offer of his becoming a “super soldier”, an undisciplined and curious Mini-Jon bounces from weapon to weapon, trying each of them, and, in the process, severely damaging the building. An overwhelmed President Tiberius is then only too happy to hand over custody of Mini-Jon to the Agency. As this section of the book concludes, Mini-Jon is in an Agency lab which is about to be attacked by bloodthirsty bananas. As everyone in the lab rushes to defense stations, Mini-Jon is left in the care of “the world’s greatest scientist, Henry B. Belton” and “Q, the diabolical evil brain” that once was Belton’s brain.

What follows are 14 two-page titled chapters (“experiments”) that are seemingly self-contained in their storylines; however, those readers who go on to Mini-Jon’s Experiments 2 will find that they need the worldbuilding information that many of these brief chapters provide. In each, Mini-Jon is at the core of the action that most often occurs because of his aforementioned curiosity or mischievous nature. The final seven-page section, “The Mini-Universe”, provides an open-ending which finds Mini-Jon traveling to a mini-universe created by Henry B. Belton, a universe that has been hijacked by the evil Q who seeks to become “its Master”..

The closing pages include a two-page spread of Henry’s lab, and readers are called upon to find the hidden parts that are needed to build a robot. As well, another two pages are given over to seven of “Henry B. Belton’s Inventions” that include a “Poodle Replicator” and an “Orange Energy Generator”.

Some readers may already be familiar with Mini-Jon as, according to a note on the copyright page, “Mini-Jon’s Experiments is published every month in the magazine chickaDEE.”

Alex A.’s colourful, action-filled cartoon-like art, populated by a cast of zany characters, makes Mini-Jon’s Experiments 1 a fun-read, one that will be particularly enjoyed by those who like to “read” both text and visuals.