Doug TenNapel is a name that at first glance you may not recognize right away, but in truth, this talented graphic artist has been putting out many stories on paper such as Ghostopolis: Bad Island and Tommysauras Rex to name a few. Loyal gamers may also recognize TenNapel’s name as the official creator of the main character from the cult classic video game Earthworm Jim. I have never really been introduced to any of these pieces of media from Doug TenNapel but after reading the first book of one of his series titled Nnewts, I found myself intrigued to wonder what else this graphic artist has in store.
Herk is a young Nnewt who wishes for stronger legs so he can walk on land, when his home village of Nnewtown is attacked by Lizzarks, he is forced into surviving while staying out of the Lizzark's sight. Herk comes across many dangers as well as many allies as he tries to figure out a way to get stronger legs and avoid the danger that is closing in on him.
The Story is anything but just a cutesy adventure because this narrative doesn’t hold back into being an adventure that has many shocking moments and light violence that may prove to be a little much for younger readers. Still, I think it's great that there are stories for kids that do push the boundaries of graphic novel storytelling and don’t hold back on showing darkness because it opens kids up to how storytelling can be more than just having main characters having perfect lives and dealing with little to no trauma because having complex trauma in our lives is what makes us human and kids should realize that when they are of age. However, the story isn’t all scary and dark as there are still plenty of fun and lighthearted moments that make their way into the story and they don’t feel out of place in the slightest. If you have a kid looking to read a more seriously toned graphic novel but are not old enough to read stuff like Modern Marvel Comics, this is a good read that will have just enough maturity to be satisfying for younger and older readers alike.
The Characters are delightful, especially Herk who is a very young and flawed child but has a good heart and is easy to root for. He’s not too dissimilar to other fictional characters who may have ended up in similar positions, but Herk has enough of an edge to stand out into being a character whose familiar but with different qualities. Other characters Herk meets along the way will come to either help him or stop him from reaching his goals. The evil Lizzarks are lead by a villain who remains in the shadows while friendly characters like Pikk are happy to help Herk in finding a new home and guide Herk into achieving his destiny. Only time will tell if these characters will hold up to other well-known graphic novel favorites, but these characters regardless were interesting and made me want to read more in the following books they will appear in.
The Illustrations can be cute sometimes, but the majority of everything is very atmospheric and even frightening. The colors of each setting we visit give off a multitude of feelings and perfectly evoke the somewhat dark yet hopeful tone of what this series is striving for. Every location feels like something out of The Lord of the Rings yet still has a bit of that childlike touch that makes the locations feel more unique from other similar fantasy stories. The character designs while cute are also very exprevise and are needed to evoke complex emotions such as sadness and even anger. This novel also banks on being violent sometimes but not in a way that becomes too gruesome or gory. This novel’s visuals could be a little scary for very younger readers, but it's great to see a novel that does not back out on scary imagery while mixing it with colorful backdrops.
Doug TenNapel has created something that does not talk down to kids and gives them an adventure that has great storytelling, likable characters, and beautiful illustrations. Sure the light violence may be a little too much for younger readers, but I’d much rather have a “kids” graphic novel that pushes against cutesy norms to deliver something different and full of complexity I’m happy to report that this author has my attention and I will be looking forward to reading more of the Nnewts storyline to see how it ends.
(Final Grade: B+)