DOODLEVILLE

Painted figures stepping out of their frames create chaos at the art museum—paralleled by conflicts among young visitors trying to restore peace.

The freehand drawings that came to life and made mischief in 2020’s series opener both help and hinder Drew and her sketchbook-toting art club as, in the wake of a repeat outing to the Art Institute of Chicago, the disappearance from a painting of an errant baby wearing a hilariously extravagant hat touches off a wholesale exodus from the rest of the collection. Worse yet, angry disagreements about how, or whether, to restore order come close to breaking up the club even as events take a scary turn when nonbinary rebel TJ casts a spell that turns an already creepy portrait of Dorian Gray into a writhing mélange of different art styles. The dialogue runs to moralistic reflections—on understanding others, what real heroes do, the importance of working together and learning from mistakes, and similar—but there’s plenty of silent action in the small (but flexibly shaped and arranged) panels as two-dimensional figures turn the museum’s walls into a battleground. Ultimately, the three-dimensional ones both bond and prevail. Along with sage observations about the rewards and value of art, Sell—without identifying the many works he freely redraws—folds in hints for interested art detectives to pursue. Drew reads White in a broadly diverse cast.

Heavy-handed on the life lessons but a refreshingly creative take on a Night-at-the-Museum theme.