J. Torres was kind enough to send me a review copy of his and Faith Erin Hick’s new graphic novel, Bigfoot Boy, which comes out this Wednesday. Hit the jump to see what I thought of it.
The story, concerning a young boy that finds a magical totem that turns him into a, wait for it… Bigfoot Boy, is interesting, and there’s a lot of different places the basic concept can go. It’s a funny, brisk story, and the light tone and excitement of the characters makes it a perfect starter comic for younger readers. Its strength, however, is also a bit of a weakness for older readers looking for all-ages material; although Bigfoot Boy doesn’t talk down to its audience at all, the quick pace of the book makes it hard to get a feel for the characters’ personalities beyond their base characteristics. However, this is only volume 1, so hopefully Torres will be able to expand on character development and interaction in future volumes.
The art, by Faith Erin Hicks, is easily the best part of the comic. Her meticulous backgrounds, going from the city to the forest, help establish the setting well enough that Torres doesn’t need to waste any words on explaining where they are, or what the landscape is like. Further, her facial expressions and body language help sell some of the jokes, while her character designs seem to imply a depth that will hopefully be explored in future volumes.
In Summary
I’d definitely recommend this comic to any children looking for a graphic novel to read; it’s an enjoyable read, and it’s about as all-ages as a comic’s possible to be; I’d feel comfortable recommending this to kids of any age that can read. The weaknesses of the comic are minor, and the potential of it outweighs them anyway. Give it as a gift, and make a kid smile.
