Ridiculous and awesome. ( )

So I was lying around complaining about my book-depression-hangover from The Man With the Golden Arm, when my oldest son went to his room to fetch this book and brought it to me. A graphic novel for kids and anyone who appreciates child-like absurdity, this quick read was actually a great pick-me-up. The perfect antidote to Serious and Depressing Literature. When you need that kind of thing. ( )

Extraterrestrial pizza delivery. Good nonsensical fun. ( )

When trouble is near and there is much to fear who will we turn to, but the Glorkian Warrior and his mighty backpack! The heroes of the galaxy. Ok, ok...he isn't quite the brightest dude out there, but he's just gotten a new mission over the phone. Deliver a pepperoni pizza! The G Warrior has no idea what a pepperoni is, but figures that everyone will like like a peanut butter and clam pizza, mmmmmm good. Along the way of trying to deliver it the Warrior and his backpack make some new friends, travel in time a bit, improve the pizza along the way (ash and tears are great toppings!) and....but wait...who does the pizza belong to?

If you haven't heard of James Kochalka before, you really are missing out. His previous books have all been published by TopShelf and during that time period he's won an Eisner award, multiple Ignatz awards, and is Vermont's first ever Cartoonist Laureate. And while he hasn't always been my favorite writer/artist (he does get a bit goofy) he really, really does understand the sense of humor that a young kid has. His Dragon Puncher books from Top Shelf, are whimsical and funny and incorporate pictures of himself, his children, and his cats into them. And the Glorkian Warrior is of the same mold. Bright, cheerful, colorful, and a laugh a page at the quest that the Warrior takes and the weird adventures he has. And while James's writing style never takes itself too seriously, there is an excellent and well paced story in the books. In this one it feels like we're watching a master improv player at work as he takes suggestions from the audience on what the Glorkian Warrior should do next. It just makes for an interesting and enjoyable read.

This is James's first book for First Second (his previous have been published by TopShelf) and I really hope he continues to do more for both companies. And that we get to see more of the Glorkian Warrior and his trusty backpack! It appears that there will also soon be a video game based upon the Glorkian Warrior (which sounds like a great deal of fun.) While this is not going to be a book for everyone, especially if you don't like a goofy, weird sense of humor, it is one that I think a number of other folks will enjoy. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for young readers and young at heart readers alike.

ARC provided by Gina at FirstSecond ( )