Nothing new and nothing too scary, all frights in good fun.
Four tales sure to give goose bumps…told graphically.
Each of the four tales collected here, inspired by early Goosebumps chapter books from the 1990s, is interpreted by a different comics artist. In panels that harken back to classic horror comics, Jamie Tolagson’s “A Shocker on Shock Street” relates the tale of two friends who get to test a horror ride based on their favorite movie franchise. Gabriel Hernandez’s shadowy, modern-looking retelling of “The Werewolf of Fever Swamp” finds new-kid-in-the-swamp Grady and his dog dodging a werewolf; and Ted Naifeh’s Little Orphan Annie–meets-manga–style “Ghost Beach” tells of siblings sent to live with distant relatives near a haunted cave. Each of these re-collected tales culled from previous Graphix publications gets ghoulish full-color treatment for the first time (final art not seen). The sole tale original to this collection, Dave Roman’s “Night of the Living Dummy,” is the most visually cartoonish of the lot. Competitive twins Kris and Lindy fight over Slappy, a ventriloquist’s dummy they find in a dumpster. To settle the argument, their mother just buys another dummy—with spooky results. Roman also contributes short, cajoling introductions to each title starring Slappy, à la the Crypt Keeper of old. Given the upcoming movie and the continued interest in the brand, this slick, well-done package will excite a lot of interest.
Nothing new and nothing too scary, all frights in good fun. (Graphic horror. 9-13)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-83600-5
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
Despite a few rough edges, a promising start.
An escalating war unites a ragamuffin with a secret and two fugitives with secrets of their own in this steampunk-tinged opener.
Having herself spent three years in disguise as a news “boy,” orphan Lavender Blue is willing to accept Jack Jingle, a brilliant but distracted inventor, and the oddly clicking, heavily muffled figure Crow as friends without probing into their pasts. Ultimately those pasts come home to roost, though, with revelations that Jack has built a flying war machine and Crow is its reluctant but purpose-built mechanical pilot. An escape attempt ends in a crash, separating it from the main characters and setting up the next volume in the series. Xu creates a nicely realistic 1920s-style setting for events and spaces out her panels to make the action reasonably easy to follow. Her manga-influenced figures, though, display only a limited range of expressions, most of them more exaggerated than called for by the circumstances, and many of the story’s twists are thoroughly telegraphed. Confusingly, the blue-eyed, light-skinned child is tagged as “mixed” (i.e., part Grimmaean) and therefore suspicious for her light hair, while Jack, with similar coloring, is accepted without comment. By and large, characters display a range of skin tones, from dark brown to white.
Despite a few rough edges, a promising start. (Graphic science fiction. 11-13)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-80311-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
The heroes may be secondhand, but the story is quickly becoming first-rate.
Superhero brothers must face off against a particularly nefarious foe: their history teacher.
White siblings Hudson and Tucker contracted superpowers after receiving secondhand items, purchased at a yard sale, imbued with magical abilities. However, all of the articles sold at the sale contained powers, and their once-meek history teacher Mr. Motstander (known as Trench when he’s wearing his insidious-looking gas mask) has become hell-bent on acquiring every item to make himself supremely powerful in order to vanquish all evildoers—but absolute power corrupts….The brothers soon find the other kids who have possession of the additional items and meet Elvira, a black goth girl who purchased chunky, knee-high boots that allow her to run with superspeed, and Ethan Chen, a Chinese-American boy who acquired a harmonica that allows him to talk to fish and breathe underwater. Together the group must defeat Trench before he and his army of golems wipe out their island community. With a diverse cast, a uniquely crafted world, and an interesting examination of both superhero tropes and the meaning of good and evil, this sophomore effort is not only a lot of fun, but also thought-provoking. Following a somewhat scattershot first volume, Hansen has taken control of his narrative; those put off by the previous offering should certainly give this one a try.
The heroes may be secondhand, but the story is quickly becoming first-rate. (Graphic adventure. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2810-8
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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