Today's kids might not have the fond nostalgia for Punky that their elders do, but her tale—and the idea that family is what...
The world is once again taking note of Punky Brewster, reimagining her origins in a playful comic format.
Abandoned by her mother in a parking lot, 8-year-old Punky is homeless. Acting as a beard for a con artist, she is eventually discovered and taken to a group home. When the home tries to locate her next of kin, they find a distant cousin living nearby. Henry Warnimont is a single, 50-something photographer who's more of a curmudgeon than a cuddler. However, Punky's offbeat spunk and Henry's gruff ways seem to genuinely mesh. Unfortunately, the courts are less than eager to turn over Punky to Henry's care, leading Punky to concoct all kinds of silly schemes. True to the 1980s TV show, this adaptation captures the essence of Punky: her catchphrases ("Holy Macanoli!"), her adorably hilarious butchering of phrases ("shin mannequins" for shenanigans), and her bottomless well of harebrained but well-intentioned ideas. Vamos' spirited illustrations do a keen job of bringing Punky's moxie to life. Originally a series of comic books, the book retains its serialized feel and takes its time to get going, but the animated antics do a fine job of helping the action along.
Today's kids might not have the fond nostalgia for Punky that their elders do, but her tale—and the idea that family is what you make it—is as likable as ever. (Graphic fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: July 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-63140-314-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Roar Comics/Lion Forge
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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
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What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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