HOWLIDAY INN

Mystery is afoot in this comics reworking of the 1982 sequel to Bunnicula.

The Monroe family is preparing for a vacation, which means boarding their pets: Harold, the tale’s gentle canine narrator; paranoid Chester the cat; and Bunnicula the rabbit, whom Chester suspects of being a vampire. The colorful cast of animal residents at the facility, Château Bow-Wow, and their human caretakers vary in personality, and everyone’s a suspect when French poodle Louise goes missing. The mystery takes place over the course of several dark and stormy nights, complete with disconcerting howling noises that Chester ascribes to werewolves drawn to Bunnicula. Set against this backdrop of four-legged intrigue, the narrative finds plenty of room for visual invention and clever fourth-wall breaks, with Harold and Chester addressing readers in a humorously self-aware prologue, calling their attention to conventions of the format, and even interacting with illustrator Gilpin himself. And, like the original, the story opens with Harold delivering a manuscript (this very book) to his editor (apparently author Howe)—a fantastic bit of metafiction. Homages to pop culture, often the result of Chester’s wild imagination, transform the setting into scenes out of Star Wars or Sherlock Holmes, lending extra flourish to frequently witty and playful dialog. This is a case of clues, punchlines, and artwork working in tandem to produce something greater than the sum of its parts. Most human characters present white.

By turns chilling and funny—an adaptation that truly does its source material proud.