The space vistas are spectacular, if readers overlook the tedious postman in front of them.
This graphic import from Québec is science fiction for anyone who finds Star Wars too invigorating.
In the early Star Wars movies, the backgrounds were usually more interesting than what was happening in the foreground, and this graphic novel borrows the same technique. As Bob the titular postman shuttles letters from one planet to another, he’s always passing something astonishing: a world shaped like an enormous dog bone or a post-office space station shaped like a mailbox. This irritates him, because Bob likes his postal route dull and routine. Any change gives him a stomachache. Fortunately, nothing that happens here is remotely exciting, though Bob is increasingly annoyed by these mundane postal glitches. He trips in the mud or gets chased by dogs. The main exception is a lengthy parody of The Little Prince, which will be funny only to those who recognize the source. The scenes in the background, however, are stunning, with impossible, Escher-style architecture and a mail cart that hovers just above the ground. (Bob, fittingly, is a bland shade of white, but other characters have green skin or puce beaks.) The drawings are so masterful that they become a sort of understated joke. The more marvels Bob sees, the more desperate he is to end this day of mishaps. But even Bob has to pause, a few pages from the end, and admire the sheer beauty of the world outside his window.
The space vistas are spectacular, if readers overlook the tedious postman in front of them. (Graphic science fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4519-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
Unapologetic goofiness galore, perhaps best consumed in small doses.
More manic monkey and bunny mischief.
In the latest installment in this high-energy, over-the-top-silly graphic novel series, Bunny, Monkey, and their cadre of woodland compatriots share more zany forest adventures. The book is split into four parts, each named for a season and then broken down into smaller vignettes, most comprising only a few pages. As before, Bunny, Monkey, Pig, Skunky, and Le Fox embark upon all types of gonzo escapades, including encounters with myriad robots, lasers, explosions, and, of course, prolific poop and fart jokes. In one tale, “Fishyplops,” Monkey makes a giant metal fish to distract Bunny while he writes the word poo all over Bunny’s humble home. In “So Many Monkeys,” egotistical Monkey faces a seemingly existential crisis when he clones himself, but things take a comical turn. The threat of human developers looking to pave a road through the animals’ beloved woodland home forms a narrative arc that loosely ties the episodes together, but even so, linear reading is not required. The unrelenting sugar-rush, off-the-wall tempo and aggressively colorful and busy illustrations can become tiresome to the point of tedium. (Really, how many versions of the same gag can the audience endure?) Still, thankfully, the episodic nature lends this work well to casual reading, making it a fun choice for readers who are between Dav Pilkey titles.
Unapologetic goofiness galore, perhaps best consumed in small doses. (character drawing instructions) (Graphic animal fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781454950356
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Funny, gross, and clever but definitely not recommended for mealtime reading.
Five muco-centric graphic tales in the classic tradition of the Slimeballs and Barf-O-Rama series.
Periodically pausing to reset the mood by chewing up classic books and covering a staring storytime audience with projectile vomit, an outsized rubbery mouth spews out a set of original tales—beginning with one about a child who saves the world from being covered in green slime by loogie monsters in exchange for being appointed school principal. Later entries follow a weak-stomached Romanian vampire who immigrates to America (“Where all are created equal, and some are treated that way!”), lay out a steep cultural learning curve when young Stella’s “bio mom” is replaced by a wrapped stepmummy, show what happens when internet trolls meet real ones, and pit a pair of frustrated ghost hunters against a mob of spectral pranksters. In all of these, DeGrand shows a real talent for lavishing copious quantities of puke, snot, blood, slobber, slime, and goo into his garishly hued cartoon scenes along with endowing the popeyed nonhuman and undead cast members with warty or glutinous skin in a range of noxious shades. Humans present a diverse (and healthier looking) mix of skin colors.
Funny, gross, and clever but definitely not recommended for mealtime reading. (Graphic short stories. 7-10)Pub Date: July 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781250780805
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
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