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.

LASER MOOSE AND RABBIT BOY: DISCO FEVER by Doug Savage

Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy are back in LASER MOOSE AND RABBIT BOY: DISCO FEVER. When Rabbit Boy catches up to Laser Moose, Laser Moose is hunting a new villain, a creature he believes is more evil than his nemesis Cyborgupine: a cute little Chickadee. As the story unfolds, it leaves the reader guessing whether or not Chickadee is a master villain, one of the good guys, or a creature that just gets caught in the middle of things. After a bunch of disco balls are lost from a truck, Cyborgupine creates a plan how to defeat Laser Moose once and for all. Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy are a really unique duo and a set of graphic novels. I’m looking forward to reading more of their zany adventures.

BIG NATE: BLOW THE ROOF OFF! by Lincoln Peirce

The continuing middle school adventures of Nate Wright (aka Big Nate) continue in BIG NATE: BLOW THE ROOF OFF! Honestly, the strongest storyline in this book is that Nate’s summer crush, Trudy, is the new girl at Nate’s school. Nate is so excited. However, there’s a slight problem: Trudy is in the 7^th grade and Nate is a 6^th grader. There are a few other storylines in this collection, but the majority of the stories in the collection revolve around Nate & Trudy. BIG NATE: BLOW THE ROOF OFF! Includes a pull-out poster of the book’s cover.

CHICK AND BRAIN: SMELL MY FOOT Graphic Novel

Chick and Brain are best friends and in CHICK AND BRAIN: SMELL MY FOOT, Chick tries to get Brain to smell his foot. However, Chick is trying to get Brain to use good manners. Then Spot, a Dog, comes along. Spot smells Chick and gets really hungry and invites Chick to his house. Chick doesn’t realize it, but Spot intends to eat Chick. Readers will find the interactions between Chick, Brain, and Spot to be quite humorous. A great little graphic novel for kids.

Review: ZEN PENCILS: VOLUME TWO: DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

The second collection of “Zen Pencils” comics, ZEN PENCILS, VOLUME 2:  DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM continues the same format as the first volume. Cartoonist Gavin Aung Than takes quotes from all kinds of famous people and then uses those quotes as written word for a series of different inspiring comics.  Some of the people quoted in this volume include Isaac Asimov, Maya Angelou, Robert Kennedy, William Shakespeare, Amy Poehler, Jim Henson, and Kevin Smith. Some of the comics continue adventures and stories from the first volume: the young boy who instead of playing sports wants to be a great dancer, the young woman who wants to be a wrestler, the boy who becomes a courageous knight, and the ancient philosopher.  Some of the comics fit quite well with the quotes that inspired the illustrations and story. Meanwhile, others just don’t seem like a very good match. Overall, I enjoyed DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM. I look forward to other books of “Zen Pencils” in the future.

Graphic Novel Challenge 2019

For the past several years I have participated in the online graphic novel challenge. This has been the only online reading challenge I have ever participated in. I completed the second tier in the challenge for this year (2018) by reading and reviewing at least 24 graphic novels during the year. I still might be posting a couple more reviews before the end of the year, but it's time to get ready for 2019. There are 5 levels this year. I know I could probably attain the Golden Age level (104 books read and reviewed during the year) if I had the time, but I always seem to get distracted. So, I'll start out simple and just try for Modern Age level again (12 books read and reviewed) and if I meet that, increase my goal. If you're interested in the graphic novel challenge, check it out here.