JOE QUINN'S POLTERGEIST by David Almond

 

JOE QUINN’S POLTERGEIST is a graphic novel that doesn’t actually revolve around Joe Quinn, but instead is centered on a young teenage boy named Davie. Based off the language and some of the places mentioned, I’m guessing the story takes place in England. Joe Quinn is a strange kid whose father is in jail and whose mother apparently lived a wild life before Joe was born. One day, Joe shows up to pester Davie and Davie’s friend Geordie. Davie and Geordie are watching some girls play tennis. Joe shows up and tells them there’s a poltergeist in his house. He asks Davie and Geordie if they want to come see. Davie doesn’t want to, but Geordie does. After their visit, Davie begins to believe there really is a poltergeist in Joe Quinn’s house, but Geordie thinks he’s kind of daft and tells him it was just Joe throwing things around. As the story progresses, the reader learns that the real poltergeist is within Davie as he still hasn’t come to terms with the death of his sister. He starts conversing with a local priest, but things really don’t go as expected.

Based upon the advertising, I had assumed that JOE QUINN’S POLTERGEIST was going to be a graphic novel story about things of the supernatural and some young kids. Turns out, it’s not. It’s a “realistic” graphic novel, meaning that the story is firmly grounded on terra firma with no attachment to anything supernatural. The poltergeist in the story isn’t a supernatural ghost. Instead, it’s the inner turmoil Davie feels about the loss of his sister.

Also based upon the advertising, I thought this was going to be a children’s graphic novel. It is not suited for children at all. Teens might enjoy the book. However, while the main characters are teens, the story is really an adult story.

I was really disappointed by JOE QUINN’S POLTERGEIST. It is true that the story wasn’t what I expected. However, putting that aside, the story itself really isn’t that great of a story. There really isn’t much of a story at all. In the end, instead of knowledge, Davie basically learns that everything is meaningless and there is only us. There’s no hope. There’s no redemption. There’s no real ending. In tone, the book reminded me of a Raymond Carver story. If you enjoy depressing and dreary fiction, seeped in realism, then you might enjoy this book.

TAKE IT AWAY, TOMMY by Georgia Dunn

 

The cats from the comic strip “Breaking Cat News (BCN)” are back in this third collection of comics. This collection appears to be a collection of strips that were published from September 3, 2015 – February 15, 2016. This collection features the regular cast of feline reporters (Elvis, Puck, Lupin, and Tommy), but also introduces several new characters, so of the cat variety, some not of the cat variety. These include Burt, Baba Mouse, Sophie, Tillie, and the Robber Mice. TAKE IT AWAY, TOMMY includes a really good Halloween storyline (that features some ghosts) as well as a Christmas story-line where Puck loses something very special to him.

I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of “Breaking Cat News.” It’s a very cat-specific comic and I’m really not the big a fan of cats. However, I do read it in the paper every day. With the expansion of characters and a greater awareness of the larger role, the strip has improved, in my opinion.  I particularly enjoyed the Halloween storyline.

YUGE! 30 YEARS OF DOONESBURY ON TRUMP by G.B. Trudeau

Before Donald Trump became seriously interested in politics and ran for office as a Republican, he was a darling of the left. Garry Trudeau was one of the few from the left-side of the political spectrum who has never really shown much liking for Trump and that can be seen in reading YUGE! a collection of 30 years of “Doonesbury” strips that feature or revolve around Trump.  In reading the strips, one can see that Trudeau never really cared for the man. However, the tone in how Trudeau characterizes Trump changes over the years. The earliest strips in the collection feature Trump more as a rich and sleazy, buffoon. He’s portrayed more as a cartoon character than a real person and it’s obvious that while the writer doesn’t like the man, he just sees him as character that can’t really be taken all that seriously. This portrayal continues through most of this collection.

 

In fact, while the book tries to give the allusion that the writer took Trump seriously early on as a legitimate political threat, the collection illustrates elsewise. The last strip in the book is from April 2016 and even at this point in time, while it appears likely that Trump might have a legitimate chance of winning the Republican nomination, the artist doesn’t take Trump seriously. Instead, he takes the boisterous bluster that Trump speaks and promotes and augments it by several degrees. I think in doing so, Trudeau’s intention was to make Trump appear and even bigger cartoon than he had ever before featured him and that there was no way possible he could ever become President of the United States. Looking back at it now, it kind of illustrates the major error of the left: they never really took Trump seriously. The issue is now reversed as since the day after the election, that side of the political aisle seems to take Trump way to serious about everything, which is probably a mistake, too. Life’s all about balance and there’s very little balance in YUGE!

 

Overall, YUGE! is a somewhat humorous and interesting read because it shows what the political left thought of Trump before he became a serious political contender. Outside of that, fans of “Doonesbury” might enjoy the collection, but because of the limit in scope and topic, perhaps not.

 

Book Review: BINGE PARENTING by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

BINGE PARENTING is the 34^th collection of "Baby Blues" comics. It contains all of the "Baby Blues" comics published from January 3, 2016 – December 31, 2016. The comics chronicle the ongoing adventures of the MacPherson family as Darryl and Wanda (the dad and mom) attempt to keep ahead of their three children: Zoe, Hammie, and Wren.  The strip remains fresh and is a simple joy to read.

Book Review: UNICORN ON A ROLL by Dana Simpson

UNICORN ON A ROLL is the second collection of "Phoebe and Her Unicorn" comics. The adventures that began when a unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, befriended the young human girl, Phoebe, continue. This comic is a traditional old-school comic full of wit, intelligence, and heart. While there are unicorns, the characters are well-developed and not just comic caricatures. Some of the big stories in this collection include Phoebe having to write Valentines, Phoebe being invited to a unicorn birthday party, and Phoebe being cast in the lead of her school play. I enjoy the "Phoebe and Her Unicorn" comics and look forward to reading more of Phoebe and Marigold's adventures together.