The main storyline lacks any suspense, but fans of Waiting for Godot may enjoy the sense of fatalism, and fans of Gilligan...
This graphic novel has “Gilligan’s Island Syndrome.”
Fans of the old TV show got frustrated because, over and over again, Gilligan and his friends tried to escape from their desert island, and over and over again, they failed. This comic book has the same sense of futility. On Page 10, Super Max, a very blond, very vain superhero, is turned into a potato by his archenemy, Dr. Malevolent, and he spends the rest of the book trying to reverse the process. Alert readers will figure out, just about around Page 10, that it’s never going to work, because the book is the first in a series, and because potatoes are funny. So the appeal of the story depends on the quality of the jokes, which varies widely. Some scenes are mordantly funny: The villain corrects an elegant waiter who refers to him as “Mr. Malevolent.” But there are far too many potato puns. (Arguably, one is too many.) Still, the visual design is appealingly simple. Even most of the human characters bear some resemblance to spuds in shape, except for Dr. Malevolent, who looks a lot like a string bean. (He even has green skin, making him just about the only character who isn’t white.)
The main storyline lacks any suspense, but fans of Waiting for Godot may enjoy the sense of fatalism, and fans of Gilligan will admire the hero’s persistence. (Graphic humor. 7-11)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5124-4021-8
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Undeniably whimsical and extremely cute.
In this tale based on the imaginative webcomic, a young blacksmith finds herself welcomed into a society that cares for tea-leaf–producing minidragons.
With perky black pigtails, pink horns, and brown skin, Greta is training to be a blacksmith like her mother (who has large pink horns, brown skin, a nose ring, and impressive musculature). In their world, blacksmithing is dwindling in importance, although Greta’s mom strives to preserve the art. One day, Greta happens across a darling, small green dragon. She learns the dragon belongs to a dignified-looking bespectacled llamalike creature named Hesekiel. Hesekiel, his wheelchair-using partner, Erik, and the enigmatic, hooved-and-antlered, cotton-candy–tressed Minette make up what is left of the Tea Dragon Society, a group that forms close bonds with the dragons and harvests the tea leaves the creatures grow. The relationship between dragon and owner, much like tea harvesting, is one that requires patience and an appreciation for craftsmanship; that general feeling is apparent as O’Neill’s gentle offering languidly unfurls without much dramatic tension. As she did in Princess Princess Ever After (2016), O’Neill has composed a feel-good tale just right for middle-grade fantasy fans. In alluringly hued, manga-inspired illustrations, O’Neill’s diverse characters distray an array of different skin colors, orientations, and abilities. Helping to add depth to the worldbuilding is an excerpt from a fictional tome that explains the history of tea dragons and their individual characteristics.
Undeniably whimsical and extremely cute. (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62010-441-5
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Oni Press
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
Funny but ultimately ineffective as either a joke book or a story.
In this romp through the multiverse, Angleberger asks readers to imagine a universe where they are a two-headed chicken.
It sounds like the start of a silly joke. One head—the reader’s—is generally very stupid; the other—belonging to the reader’s sister—is generally very smart. The alleged plot hops universes with every chapter as the eponymous plucky cluck attempts to escape an “enraged moose named KERNEL ANTLERS” whose mission in life is to fry and eat the chicken. Various bizarre creatures and historical figures offer obfuscating commentary on the chicken’s shenanigans or guidance, and finally, a hypothetical reader, fed up with their aimless escapades and thwarted jokes, threatens to abandon the book and erase the chicken from existence in every multiverse if they don’t buck up and face the moose. Will our intrepid hero prevail? Readers may never know—at least, not in their universe. Scattered self-deprecation may not have been unwarranted, as there’s very little within the book to capture readers’ attention (aside from reading on to learn whether a plot will ever coalesce). Myriad potentially exciting worlds and plotlines are touched on but never explored, and the characters are too flat to allow readers to become invested in their plights. The bold, expressive art, almost reminiscent of margin doodles, does the lion’s share of the storytelling. A few interactive pages offer amusing diversions but feel rather out of place.
Funny but ultimately ineffective as either a joke book or a story. (author’s note) (Graphic novel. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2321-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
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