NO SAM! AND THE MEOW OF DECEPTION

Saving one of his owners from an obvious vampire is just one of the new challenges facing the fiercely protective pooch introduced in They Call Me No Sam! (2024).

Sam considers himself the “chief security officer” for a family of hapless humans (or “naked-monkey-things,” as he puts it). His favorite human, young Justin, has a new friend named Dean who claims to be allergic to sunlight and smells like fresh dirt, just like a vampire would! What to do? Taking a cue from a character on TV, who confusingly recommends using a “steak,” Sam springs into action. Meanwhile, the household kitty, who can talk and has a genius IQ thanks to the genetic experiments of Justin’s scientist parents, is trying to sell their secrets to a pair of spies. Once again, even though everything comes round right at the end, the disconnect between what Sam sees and real life will induce general hilarity—as will his doggy advice to readers to, for instance, poop in their front yards like he does (“Liberating, right?”) and pee on their favorite toys, because “if you pee on something it’s yours forever.” Along with amplifying the knee-slapping conceit with visual punchlines, Lowery’s many spot and paneled line drawings include images of the pudgy pug’s hysterical approach to perceived threats and his winning, slobbery affection for “monkey-things” he likes. Figures, human and otherwise, are the color of the paper.

A tail-wagger, with much afoot for both the two- and four-legged cast.