Trover Saves the Universe #5: Nobody Puts Power Baby in the Corner

When it comes to videogame tie-ins, they often have trouble finding their footing as comic books. This is often the case because writers and artists have to work within certain restraints to align with whatever property they are working with. There will always be some standouts, but most are easily forgotten or seen as cash grabs. Trover Saves the Universe is one of those standouts. Justin Roiland’s videogame of the same name is certainly unique and blends his absurd science fiction humor with the growing market of VR gaming, so it had some very specific-sized shoes to fill. Tess Stone does an excellent job translating Roiland’s vision to the comic medium.

As a whole, issue #5 successfully wraps up the series, though it is the weakest issue of the five. The biggest problem that I had with the finale is that it was extremely busy, so there is a lot to resolve in a short amount of time. Issue #4 set Trover strolling in and saving the day with the help of the sunglass-wearing power baby is certainly an example of deus ex machina, but if the past five issues showed us anything, it was that this is a bonkers universe and anything is possible. It also seems appropriate that the series shares the same name as the videogame, despite Trover not being a main protagonist until issue 5. In the end, Trover really does save the day. There is a bit at the end of the issue where Trover, Bo, and Klover are sitting around what looks like some kind of space hookah and talking about where power babies come from. It is hilarious and overly graphic and answers a question you didn’t ask, which is something I enjoyed about the series and the videogame. Overall, Trover Saves the Universe is a solid series and adds plenty of fun for fans of the game to enjoy. I would love to see more of these characters and to see what else Stone can do with this universe.