HOG-ROCKET RUCKUS

Terwilliger Trilobite returns to battle a gas-powered prehistoric pig.

In this third graphic novel installment following Walrus Brawl at the Mall (2024), Trilobite, paleo-newscaster Tiffany Timber, “fun-sized dinosaur” Tiny Spinosaurus, and Amber the Ambulocetus are on the job. They’re trying to find and film an Entelodon (nicknamed “Heck Pig” by the group). True to form, events go humorously awry, leaving the Heck Pig—fueled by rage and fiery farts—consuming everything in its path. Trilobite and crew fall into financial hardship and are forced to find work to pay their debts. Trilobite is dismayed when all he can find is a job in a sewer, where he cleans up biosludge, formed by a mix of organic and inorganic waste that met an unfortunate AI smart sewer. When nemesis Opabinia offers $25,000 to anyone who can stop Heck Pig, the group must come up with a plan to stop the pooting porker. Will Bite be able to help while he’s busy scooping sentient sewage? Hale’s newest installment is an utter delight, and the strongest in the series so far, skillfully blending prehistoric tidbits with knee-slapping potty humor. A sage introduction informs readers of the book’s hand-drawn nature, encouraging them to embrace mistakes and assuring them that the volumes may be enjoyed out of sequence. Tiffany, the lone human among the cast, appears white in the purple-hued artwork.

Facts and farts: always a winning combination.