An interestingly unconventional amalgamation of tropes and genre.
In this trilogy closer, two superhero brothers and their magical friends face their nefarious foe for the ultimate battle.
Jumping right in where middle volume In the Trenches (2017) concluded, brothers Tucker and Hudson—also known as the magically enhanced superheroes Stretch and Brella—are breathing a bit easier after defeating their evil teacher Mr. Motstander. Unfortunately, their small island home does not stay quiet for long, and the brothers soon discover that their adversary has persisted. Motstander seeks to destroy the brothers’ reputations, exploiting the fickleness of public favor in the age of social media. With the help of their friends who possess their own magically imbued objects, the motley crew gears up for what can only be a battle to the death. Genre constraints are thoroughly smashed as this nontraditional superhero tale weaves a quirky pastiche of time travel, light romance, and fantasy. Brothers Tuck and Hudson are white, while secondary characters offer some diversity both racially and in terms of disability; shallow development among these characters is particularly frustrating. Hansen’s bold line-and-wash illustrations easily transition from world to world, whether he is evincing the boys’ small island community, prehistoric scenes of rampaging dinosaurs, or a fantastic, medieval-ish landscape populated by dragons. Though this volume declares itself the conclusion, the end hints at more adventures to come.
An interestingly unconventional amalgamation of tropes and genre. (Graphic adventure. 9-12)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8037-4096-9
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-695-4
Page Count: 188
Publisher: First Second/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Epic—in plot, not length—and as wise and wonderful as Gerald Morris’ Arthurian exploits.
Who needs dragons when there are Terrible Lizards to be fought?
Having recklessly boasted to King Arthur and the court that he’d slain 40 dragons, Sir Erec can hardly refuse when Merlin offers him more challenging foes…and so it is that in no time (so to speak), Erec, with bookish Sir Hector, the silent and enigmatic Black Knight, and blustering Sir Bors with his thin but doughty squire, Mel, in tow, are hewing away at fearsome creatures sporting natural armor and weapons every bit as effective as knightly ones. Happily, while all the glorious mashing and bashing leads to awesome feats aplenty—who would suspect that a ravening T. Rex could be decked by a well-placed punch to the jaw?—when the dust settles neither bloodshed nor permanent injury has been dealt to either side. Better yet, not even the stunning revelation that two of the Three Stooges–style bumblers aren’t what they seem (“Anyone else here a girl?”) keeps the questers from developing into a well-knit team capable of repeatedly saving one another’s bacon. Phelan endows the all-white human cast with finely drawn, eloquently expressive faces but otherwise works in a loose, movement-filled style, pitting his clanking crew against an almost nonstop onslaught of toothy monsters in a monochrome mix of single scenes and occasional wordless sequential panels.
Epic—in plot, not length—and as wise and wonderful as Gerald Morris’ Arthurian exploits. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 9-11)Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-268623-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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