Mix: One wacky girl with one tiny dinosaur; Result: Big Fun Collects three full-color, zany tales of Simone & Ajax, "The Case of the Maltese Duck," "A Christmas Caper," and "Simone, Queen of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.
There are 3 adventures in this paperback trade, and the last one was my favorite. Two words; Santa. Claus.
This book started out when Simone and Ajax crash landed into a gender-bent Tarzan and Jane-esque world, where villagers were being attacked by giant tiki heads. The 2nd and main story was The Case of the Maltese Duck, where hard-boiled detective Ajax and his very patient dame Simone were hired to find and protect the Maltese Duck, the last of its kind, from greedy humans and crime lords wanting internal life from its fig filled fried liver. And finally, our duo helped Santa to thwart M.E. (a big toy conglomerate) from stealing Santa's secret tech in The Christmas Caper.
While the Maltese Duck story was funny with all of the Easter eggs/pop culture refences and the antics of the bad guys, and the leading lady and Mr. dino, I didn't feel the vibe was what Simone and Ajax are about. I thought the first misshaped adventure in the jungle and the Christmas story were both more their style. I can't put my finger on why the Maltese Duck didn't jive with me, it was funny, fast paced, a solid story, it didn't skip a beat. Maybe it was just the fact of Ajax trying to be a tough guy when that is definitely not what this couple of adventurers is about.
Also, I have to give a shout out to the Lemmings. They're little furry dudes that help our heroes get out of tight spots, and they are flipping adorable! I want one. Since Lemming's "always know," if you little guys happen to read this, please, please make some merch, I can't be your only fan.
All in all, I enjoyed Simone and Ajax, it gave me heavy Sunday comic vibes with the ridiculous yet well-thought-out story lines. It's appropriate for all ages and so fun, I can't say that enough.
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