Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I got this on sale somewhere - the more graphic novels you bought off a sale shelf, the less expensive they got.   Up to about four, and I got a couple Transformers graphic novels as well as this. 

It's a lovely volume with three stories that fit into the Smile Time theme, starting with an adaptation of Smile Time.   While it was mostly just the episode, there were a couple moments that you got more into the characters head, although that's sometimes tough with graphic novels adaptations. 

The next story is a Nina and Angel date, and while I'm not usually a big fan of Angel alone, or without his Wolfram and Hart gang, this story was funny and cute.   And mercifully short.  I wasn't a huge fan of Nina, either, so as much as I love Jeff Mariotte, I think the fax that this story, based around these two characters, didn't knock this down at least a star speaks for his skillz.  It was short, it was in fact the perfect length, and given the humor I really enjoyed it. 

The third story is the real reason to get this, though.   A longer story which focuses on Spike and uses Lorne as a sidekick, it take Smile Time to Japan.   There are a lot of poking fun at muppets and Sesame Street, Spike being a jackass even when he's trying to be nice, some womenfolk as sidekicks, breaking the fourth wall jokes, and it's just overall fun.   Want to see Spike as a wee little puppet man?   Then the is a perfect way to read Spike: Shadow Puppets because the first two stories are a lot of fun, and just happened to make me love this story line all that much more.