oneangrylibrarian's review
4.0
I am a huge Doug TenNapel fan. I have read many of his graphic novels and I personally recommend Cardboard as an example of quality story telling via graphic novel. This book was a lot of fun. I love the art. TenNapel has a way of keeping his art goofy and yet emotionally powerful at the same time. The story was also quite enjoyable. It is obvious that this is a big setup for something epic. It does go a bit fast at times but I also found myself slowing down at certain points due to the emotional weight of panels. There are many moments in this book where I can picture my students going "ooooooooh". So excited to see where this series will take readers. This book is funny, action packed, and mysterious. It will leave the reader wanting more with each turn of the page. Great for 3rd through 5th graders.
froggylibrarian1's review
4.0
Graphic novels are really not my thing but I know the kids enjoy them. I think the problem is that I tend to be a speed reader and I focus solely on the text and don't slow down enough to linger with the pictures and find the nuances to the plot that are found in the images.
I thought this book was clever. There is obviously more to come and it did end at a bit of a cliffhanger... who is Herk? Is he actually Zerk? What does that mean? I think kids will enjoy the book.
I thought this book was clever. There is obviously more to come and it did end at a bit of a cliffhanger... who is Herk? Is he actually Zerk? What does that mean? I think kids will enjoy the book.
fistofmoradin's review
4.0
once again a wholesome family tale. I love everything Doug has written. keep up the great work.
abigailbat's review
4.0
Oh, Doug TenNapel, you are so weird but in the best way. This graphic novel, like TenNapel's other works, reads very cinematically; I could imagine I was watching a TV show as the action unfolded in front of me. This is an imaginative start to a new series.
theybedax's review
3.0
Not my favorite work of TenNapel's who however is my favorite graphic artist (who doesn't love a man who can do it all). I'm not looking forward to the wait for the next volume because the story definitely draws you in and I'm rooting for young Herk. You have all the proper makings of a hero, tragedy and hope are key.
jenjenpelly's review
3.0
I was not really to this story, almost put it down, in fact, until about 50 pages in. The world building for this story was a little slow, but once the plot started rolling, it hooked me in. This is kind of a gruesome take of annihilation and redemption and reminds me a lot of classic mythological hero quests. I'll give book 2 a try.
cyn2hia's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
libscote's review
4.0
Once I got past my initial dislike of the double n in "nnewts," I really enjoyed this book. Hurk wants so badly to have strong legs and be able to be on land and water. His dad is a magician, who gets called away on a hunting raid. While he is gone, the lizzarks attack. Hurk escapes, but has no idea where to go. There's a lot of interesting points, some of which feel a bit expected to this avid fantasy/sci-fi reader but will surprise kids. I'm excited to see where this story goes.
unseenwizzzard's review
4.0
This was a fun read, easy to follow even though a few parts were a bit odd. Since this was a first volume in a series (and since the author usually does only stand-alone graphic novels) I wasn't sure how he was going to handle setting up the characters in a way that allowed for growth later on. I was happily surprised at how he built the story so that we knew more was coming later in a way that satisfied for now.