THE ART OF GETTING NOTICED

An adorably legendary pairing unfolds in this creative, cryptozoological graphic novel.

Bigfoot Littletoe III just can’t seem to stand out. The rest of his family members make headlines with their epic photobombs of humans. Try as he might, Bigfoot keeps goofing it up, tripping, slipping, or stumbling and missing many opportunities to have his picture taken. When, one day, he gets tangled up in some campers’ tent, a smartly disguised stranger stumbles upon the forlorn Bigfoot. With the flap of a flipper, she shakes him loose, and after a campfire heart-to-heart, she assures Bigfoot that there’s more to life than being noticed. Bigfoot’s new pal is none other than Nessie, but the fluffy fella does not recognize her as the Nessie of Loch Ness fame. Nessie suggests Bigfoot stop fixating on fame and start figuring out what he actually enjoys doing, leading to an artistic montage that culminates with Bigfoot finding his true passion: hedge sculptures, which finally bring him the fame he’s long sought! Conflict arises when Nessie’s true identity is uncovered and Bigfoot has to decide which is more important: the adoration of masses of people he doesn’t know or the love of his one true friend. Far from being a one-note monster story, this tale has strong social-emotional elements, like Nessie’s calm reassurance, which inspires Bigfoot to create art despite self-doubt, woven into the narrative to create unexpected depth and complexity. The cheerful, manga-inspired artwork pops with color and expression, adding a dreamy quality to the work. Luckily for readers, this darling duo will appear again, as this is the first in a planned series. Humans depicted are diverse.

A friendship story as rare as the creatures in it.