ZOO FORCE is one of those comics that is less about the characters and more about the storytelling form, and that's not at all a bad thing. Self-publishers (some might call them amateurs), writer John Ira Thomas and Jeremy Smith, know enough about the comics form to have created an entertaining little comic book, a graphic novella, if you will.

Thomas has quite the imagination as seen in the various stories herein, although the characters and situation are a bit vague. It takes some effort to grasp all the players and their backgrounds. Thankfully, Thomas has a sense of humor, which he spins into delightfully funny tales. Zoo Force also contains a "comic within a comic" that is sharp hero comedy, a kind of indy version of the 1980's JUSTICE LEAGUE.

While Thomas may be going through some growing pains as a writer, his illustrative collaborator Jeremy Smith is surprising accomplished, and he has more wit than most artists drawing off-plantation superhero comics. His faux stick figure drawings for the short tale, "Not Zoo Force" are just flat out funny.

I'm happy to be surprised by this book, and I think readers who like mainstream comics and also have a sense of humor will like this. Visit the publisher at its website, www.candlelightpress.com.

GRADE B