Familiar characters star in Minions Mini Boss – written by Stéphane Lapuss’ and drawn by Renaud Collin. This comic serves as a spinoff for the movie Minions: Rise of Gru that came out last summer. After the events of the last Minions movie, a young Gru is now their leader. Minions Mini Boss plays up on this aspect. But it does not follow any particular plot from the movie. It’s episodic and capitalizes off the incompetent but lovable energy of the minions to provide a funny story. In one episode, the minions try to get Gru some ice cream on a hot sunny day. They end up bringing him the cone on top of the ice cream instead. In another memorable episode, they launch a rock with numbers on it to the side of Gru’s classroom. This is so they can help him cheat on his math test.
Interestingly, much like the minions themselves, Minions Mini Boss doesn’t use a lot of words. Instead, it relies on its images to tell the story. It has a gentle art style, using color with soft lines, almost as if someone drew it with crayon or colored pencils. This provides a very playful effect associated with the minions themselves. This is very befitting of the age group that the story targets. However, it does have a smoothness to it that only digital art can provide.
Minions Mini Boss does not have much in terms of plot. This is certainly not a bad thing; a lot of stories are best told in simplicity. The lack of words also plays into the meandering aspect of it. However, the absence of a throughline makes it obvious that this piece is promotional rather than a standalone. It relies on children’s recognition rather than its own merit. It also relies on the wackiness of the minions, which at times is incomprehensible. I’m positive however that children don’t mind. Entertainment for entertainment’s sake has as much of a right to exist as anything else. The Despicable Me franchise is popular enough to not worry about whether the comics they put out are individualized.
The most compelling aspect of Minions Mini Boss is its slice-of-life nature. Despicable Me usually falls in the comedy and action genre. But this is purely comedic. Although the minions do cause some havoc, nothing consequential occurs. This is a nice break from the movies. Seeing the quiet side of Gru’s childhood is also interesting. Although he figures prominently in the second Minions movie, one might expect the plot of that to focus more on action than outlining a future villain’s daily life. Gru has always been a humanized figure. But seeing his past unfolds a different part of him. He exhibits a short temper but also a kind heartedness in his childhood. This reflects the person he is in the present, and serves as part of what makes him a compelling character. His ability to accept those around him makes him a figure worth following.
Want to see more of the fun the minions get up to? Interested in seeing a different side of our favorite villain, Gru? What other hijinks do you want to see with this group? Minions Mini Boss is now available for purchase at Titan Comics so grab a copy and dive deep into the Despicable Me lore. Let us know on Facebook or Twitter which is your favorite minions movie!
