Today's kids might not have the fond nostalgia for Punky that their elders do, but her tale—and the idea that family is what...
The world is once again taking note of Punky Brewster, reimagining her origins in a playful comic format.
Abandoned by her mother in a parking lot, 8-year-old Punky is homeless. Acting as a beard for a con artist, she is eventually discovered and taken to a group home. When the home tries to locate her next of kin, they find a distant cousin living nearby. Henry Warnimont is a single, 50-something photographer who's more of a curmudgeon than a cuddler. However, Punky's offbeat spunk and Henry's gruff ways seem to genuinely mesh. Unfortunately, the courts are less than eager to turn over Punky to Henry's care, leading Punky to concoct all kinds of silly schemes. True to the 1980s TV show, this adaptation captures the essence of Punky: her catchphrases ("Holy Macanoli!"), her adorably hilarious butchering of phrases ("shin mannequins" for shenanigans), and her bottomless well of harebrained but well-intentioned ideas. Vamos' spirited illustrations do a keen job of bringing Punky's moxie to life. Originally a series of comic books, the book retains its serialized feel and takes its time to get going, but the animated antics do a fine job of helping the action along.
Today's kids might not have the fond nostalgia for Punky that their elders do, but her tale—and the idea that family is what you make it—is as likable as ever. (Graphic fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: July 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-63140-314-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Roar Comics/Lion Forge
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
Definitely on the Wimpy Kid bandwagon, but less vicious with the satire and therefore all the more welcome. (Graphic novel....
Scenes from the life of a middle-grade Everydonkey.
Aside from a few tears after being suddenly struck by the expressions “dumbass” and “dumb as a donkey” (his mother gently joshes him out of his funk), Ariol travels a relatively gentle emotional landscape in this series opener. Giggle-inducing episodes usually involve Ariol’s friend Ramono the pig, who sets off a nose-to-nose, no-hands game of “pass the tissue” at school and later brings fake vomit on a class outing (“My dad had bought it to play a joke on my mom, before their divorce”). Other experiences range from providing commentary for a triumphant tennis match against illusory opponent Stevie McFailure to cutting up in gym and, in the finale, suffering a nightmare in which he has to choose between class crush Petula the cow or becoming an interstellar knight with beloved equine superhero Thunder Horse. Boutavant arranges the all-animal cast in large sequential panels that never look crowded even when the dialogue balloons multiply.
Definitely on the Wimpy Kid bandwagon, but less vicious with the satire and therefore all the more welcome. (Graphic novel. 8-10)Pub Date: Feb. 19, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59707-399-8
Page Count: 124
Publisher: Papercutz
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
Funny and snarky as ever, with a cautionary but reassuring message that this common malady will, like most childhood colds...
School assignments, sleep and even Super Amoeba comics go by the wayside when protozoan protagonist Squish is “infected” by a video game.
Seeing best buddies Pod and Peggy mildly addicted to “Mitosis,” Squish spends birthday money for his own copy and maniacally proceeds to work his way past the game’s dozens of levels through sleepless nights and dazed days. Presented as usual in simply drawn, thick-lined panels with green highlights, the episode makes its point by switching from views of the bleary, unwashed victim to screen after screen after screen (“Uh, are you as bored as me?” the occasionally intrusive narrator interjects) of heavily pixelated cells dividing. These culminate at last in an equally pixelated nightmare and a “GAME OVER.” Fixation likewise. Happily, there’s no permanent harm done, as Squish has an English teacher who slips him a makeup assignment to cover a late book report and a dad so cool that he later accompanies his blobby son in costume to a comics convention that just happens to feature the (unnamed but recognizable) “creators of Babymouse.”
Funny and snarky as ever, with a cautionary but reassuring message that this common malady will, like most childhood colds and fevers, run its course naturally without outside intervention. (science project, drawing page) (Graphic novel. 7-9)Pub Date: May 28, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-307-98299-5
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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