THE FLYING BEAVER BROTHERS AND THE MUD-SLINGING MOLES

Eaton has learned an important truth: One of the great joys of reading comic books is the sound effects.

The Flying Beaver Brothers series may have the best sound effects in all of comics. “RORP!” is the sound of a hole being torn in a parachute. “FOY! FOY! FOY!” is the sound of a beaver tumbling through the air. “YUT” is the sound of that same beaver being attacked, a few minutes later, by tiny moles. The moles have been suctioning dirt from Beaver Island, as Mole Island is much too small for its population. They use a gigantic vacuum cleaner, and it suctions up trees and houses along with the dirt. When a tree vanishes, the sound effect is “GLURP!” The author is clearly having the time of his life inventing new sounds and drawing impossible machines. His technique can’t always keep up with his imagination, though. The flat line drawings sometimes make the sequence of events difficult to follow, and moles and beavers have such tiny feet that they’re hard to draw in action poses. But that’s the appeal: The characters look like doodles, simple figures the readers could draw themselves.

The story is so engaging that when they finish the book, readers may be ready to draw their own Flying Beaver Brothers adventure, complete with sound effects.