The happy ending is visible from miles off; fans will reach it and go right back to Book 1.
Is there a dragon on the loose in Mr. Venezi’s and Stuff?
Mr. Venezi no longer sells pets; he just sells stuff—like walrus toothbrushes and aardvark neckties; the animals are there but not for sale. Sasspants the guinea pig and Hamisher the hamster have also changed careers, and they are trying to decide what to do now that they are no longer detectives. Mr. Venezi isn’t close to paying his rent, but he’s paying plenty of tongue-tied attention to Charlotte, the owner of the bookstore, which is outgrowing its space. Her daughter, Bree, loves dragons; when Mr. Venezi starts noticing that the merchandise is disappearing and being replaced by piles of money, Bree and the animals decide there’s a dragon living in the shop. What will Sasspants and Hamisher do? Who or what is leaving that money? Will Mr. Venezi ever ask Charlotte out? Venable caps her series of graphic novels for young readers with a light mystery readers won’t have any trouble solving. As usual, the fun is in the interaction of the characters: clueless Mr. Venezi, enthusiastic Hamisher and the smartest pig in the room—Sasspants. Yue’s bright, colorful, expressive panels extend the sly humor (check out the mouse with Princess Leia hair) and boost the giggles.
The happy ending is visible from miles off; fans will reach it and go right back to Book 1. (Graphic fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4677-0726-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
File under “laugh riot.”
A rogue spell-check program’s bid to transform all life-forms into that eminently useful office item, the paper clip, touches off a fresh round of lunar lunacy.
Predicated on the entirely reasonable premise that eliminating all spelling and grammar errors everywhere would logically lead to the necessity of exterminating carbon-based life in the universe, this third series entry combines high stakes with daffy banter and daring exploits. CheckMate—a chipper, jumped-up editing program—has invented the Transmogratron, a giant laser that will fulfill its ultimate goals in both the cyber world and “meatspace.” Facing challenges as random as prankster lunar unicorns and a disarmingly motherly Motherboard, scowling First Cat joins a motley crew of diversely carbon- and silicon-based allies, led by the pearlescent Queen of the Moon. They’re in a race to the finish—diverted occasionally by, for instance, a relentlessly punny comic-book interlude featuring a pair of literal and figurative Pool Sharks. They ultimately triumph thanks to teamwork and moxie. Following a celebratory party and toasts to “new friends…and steadfast comrades” (and, of course, “MEOW”), the story’s energetic, brightly colored panels close with a reveal of the next volume. (“I always hate it when comics end by announcing a sequel. SO CRINGE!” declares an authorial stand-in.) It can’t come too soon.
File under “laugh riot.” (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780063315280
Page Count: 272
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More trampling in the vineyards of the Literary Classics section, with results that will tickle fancies high and low.
Recasting Dog Man and his feline ward, Li’l Petey, as costumed superheroes, Pilkey looks East of Eden in this follow-up to Tale of Two Kitties (2017).
The Steinbeck novel’s Cain/Abel motif gets some play here, as Petey, “world’s evilest cat” and cloned Li’l Petey’s original, tries assiduously to tempt his angelic counterpart over to the dark side only to be met, ultimately at least, by Li’l Petey’s “Thou mayest.” (There are also occasional direct quotes from the novel.) But inner struggles between good and evil assume distinctly subordinate roles to riotous outer ones, as Petey repurposes robots built for a movie about the exploits of Dog Man—“the thinking man’s Rin Tin Tin”—while leading a general rush to the studio’s costume department for appropriate good guy/bad guy outfits in preparation for the climactic battle. During said battle and along the way Pilkey tucks in multiple Flip-O-Rama inserts as well as general gags. He lists no fewer than nine ways to ask “who cut the cheese?” and includes both punny chapter titles (“The Bark Knight Rises”) and nods to Hamiltonand Mary Poppins. The cartoon art, neatly and brightly colored by Garibaldi, is both as easy to read as the snappy dialogue and properly endowed with outsized sound effects, figures displaying a range of skin colors, and glimpses of underwear (even on robots).
More trampling in the vineyards of the Literary Classics section, with results that will tickle fancies high and low. (drawing instructions) (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-93518-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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