Gold Digger Highly recommended

Publisher
Antarctic Press
Writer
Fred Perry
Artist
Fred Perry
Country of origin
Japan
Year
1993

Gold Digger : Peebo Tales #1 & #2 of 2

By David Rasmussen
29th Jul 07

It’s been awhile since I last had a major bone to pick with a company over just a single title.
That title, if memory serves, was Aria (ADVManga).
Cut short of it’s prime (3 volumes while the title continues onwards with 9 volumes, possibly a Volume 10 out by now) the series that I gave a perfect 5 out of 5 to was really majorly ignored by ADVManga (to the point that they barely promoted this sleeper hit treasure that deserved better).

Yes, ADVManga is now slowly reviving their manga franchise and bringing back much anticipated titles like Gunslinger Girl and Yotsuba&!, but yet I have not heard anything about the return of Aria… yet.
So, with that in mind do I need another cause, and another title to champion?
I guess so because today’s topic is my review of Gold Digger : Peebo Tales, the next Aria.

Yes, technically speaking I can understand the reluctance of Antarctic Press concerning this title if you think about it. I mean a title that totally revolves around the Azumanga Daioh 4-panel comedy slantings of the wee little Peebos (first appearing way back when in the Golden Age of Gold Digger just after the Time War of GD Volume 8), little machines who can bring joy and humor, or pain as their ultimate destiny is to one day commit technological suicide in the names of their “family” the Diggers is… well… I just said it.
But just worrying about the day Fred Perry will one day make PeeBri, PeeGi, PeeBrit and PeeBochu commit explosive firey suicide to stop some enemy threatening the Diggers family is just pointless.
Can we not enjoy these light vintages of Peebo humor while we can? Is that so hard?
There was supposed to be an Issue #3 (and more) but now the title has ground to a halt and lord knows when we’ll ever see anymore of the franchise coming out!

So, not to make anyone feel regret or anything, but this 5 out of 5 solid review is for you Peebo Tales, enjoy it though the chance of experiencing more of these may be a long way off (if enough of these are ever made or re-released, however it is, to justify a Graphic Novel release).

In Issue #1 we enjoy the foibles of Peebos gone wild, but first Peebos : a brief history of time.
Spin your clock back to the Golden Age of Gold Digger, just after the time spanning chaos of the Time Wars which crossed over Gold Digger and Ninja High School (though technically not Fred Perry and Ben Dunn in any great sense from my understanding of the crossover), when Gina was left to rebuild her destroyed lab (and Britanny was hopped up on getting out to help Strype with his Dynasty problems).
It was at this time (as Gina’s rival Penny came to lend a helping lab) that Brianna showed off her latest technology, including the first gen of her explosive AI mini bombs aka Peebos.
I am still not sure what “Peebos” stands for but I’m sure someone out there knows.

Peebo Tales takes places between this event and present day (as seen in the fact that Britanny is still around and Tiffany doesn’t seem to be born yet, though she does seem to make a cameo in the start of Issue #1 as the “girl” in the manners DVD Brianna bought to “program” her Peebos).

It’s with this that we are introduced to PeeBri, which seems to be Brianna’s personal Peebo counterpart.
Apparently PeeBri (blue Peebo with a strange rabbit motif with a strange tail that looks like a giant microphone stuck on it’s rear) has abit of the mischievous side to “her” personality as she, after “absorbing” the lesson of the DVD, proceeds to attempt to “politely” con people out of their quarters.

Then there’s a two page story with PeeGi (Gina’s Peebo counterpart, a cute little pink Peebo with a Gina Hat and Gina Glasses as part of her exobody frame) and a Peebo named “Peebochu”.
You don’t see PeeBochu much, only here and briefly in the last story in a cameo.

After a few shorts with PeeBri and PeeGi we finally see the third of this trio, PeeBrit.
PeeBrit (purple with Britanny inspired cheetah motling on her top frame) is a fast built little Peebo (with longer back roller legs for speed) who has a Need For Speed (Most Wanted), which ends with her getting busted by the cops for… yes… that.

After all this there’s a need for “punishment”, and then a little more about PeeBrit before we wrap up (oh, and that cameo appearance by PeeBochu).

Issue #2, “An R-PeeGi Adventure” has PeeGi learn the joys of AD&D (Version 2.0... Or is it 3.5?) only to try and get PeeBri & PeeBrit into it which leads to predictable results.
So, paper and dice RPG isn’t working? How about link up to your pals and go WoW on them with not so predictable results… but then again if you got the gist of them maybe it is predictable.
For the first (and last at this rate) time you see the trio as humanoids (sorta) which all resemble those they are patterned after (PeeBrianna, PeeGina and PeeBritanny).

PeeBri has an obsession with slashing things.
PeeGina just wants to have an adventure.
And PeeBritanny is thief… I mean “caretaker”… of all things tuna. Though maybe PeeBrit maybe should have spent more time learning her weapon and less on the fine art of cooking monster sized tuna.

And that, as they say, is that.
Sure you can dig into the classic collection and buy the first Graphic Novel devoted to Peebos and Peebos alone, but it would be nice if Antarctic Press didn’t do an ADVManga and actually brought this title back online with an Issue #3 and up. I don’t see why. Peebo Tales is sorta like the Okami of Gold Digger spin-offs. Lots of potential for long lasting fun, which surprises you and makes you a believer in no time flat.

Of course while we’re talking revving up Gold Digger : Peebo Tales once again Fred Perry is working with Wes Hartman on Sky Sharks, which is “Coming Soon”… whatever that means.

So here’s a great, lovably cute title in the vein of Azumanga Daioh (but excels past that with a new way to present 4 panel skits, fresh presentation and new humor), that takes formerly tertiary alsoran characters and made them worth reading about… and it got the hammer after 2 issues.

Then (no offense to Wes Hartman’s SkyShark) we have a seemingly alsoran, I think I saw this before action title about pilots of these nice aircraft who seem to be nicely drawn but whose script won’t be known until it releases… which is ready to launch on some mysterious future date known as “Coming Soon!”
Yeah. I totally am not going to mind losing this 5 out of 5 gem so SkySharks can live (though to be honest I will review it without bias and let you know if SkySharks fly like the wind when it sees release).

At the start of Issue #1, in the Manners DVD PeeBri is watching, the DVD says to “Remember, boys and girls… when you want to ask for something… always use “please” and “thank you!”.”
OK. I got it. Here you go.

“May I have another issue of Gold Digger : Peebo Tales from Fred Perry? Pleeeeeease???”
How about this?

“May I please get assurances that SkySharks will come out sometime in 4th Quarter 2007 or at least the 1st or 2nd Quarter 2008... And WON’T blow serious chunks?!? Pleeeeeeease?!?”

What? What’s that Peebo Tales?
You want another issue too? Maybe two more?
And you want SkySharks NOT to suck?
Oh… AND you want a 5 out of 5, Peebo Tales?!?
You always did know the right things to say!!

Gold Digger : Peebo Tales gets 5 beggings and pleading for Peebo Tales #3 out of 5

-- David Rasmussen 29th Jul 07