SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

September 29, 2010 by Katherine Dacey

Reviews: Alterna Comics Spectacular!

September 29, 2010 by Katherine Dacey   1 comments

The Alterna Comics catalog is eclectic, to say the least, featuring titles like The Deadbeat, a family drama about a down-on-his-luck superhero and the daughter he abandoned; Hello, Do You Work Here?, a collection of true workplace stories; and Jesus Hates Zombies, a horror-spoof that pits the Son of God against the undead. That might not sound like the most promising place to find good comics for kids, but Alterna has a solid line of all-ages and teen-friendly titles, among them Bret Herholz’s The Spaghetti Strand Murder, an affectionate send-up of Agatha Christie, and The Unlikely Trio: The Last Barn on the Left, an adventure involving a mouse, a cat, and a dog.

The Spaghetti Strand Murder
By Bret M. Herholz
Ages 12 and up
2008, Alterna Comics, 978-1934985045
72 pp., $6.95

The year is 1920. In a gloomy English manor house, Doland Sloughshire discovers his father’s lifeless body at the foot of the stairs, a single strand of pasta wrapped around the corpse’s neck. Lord Algernon, it seems, was not a beloved patriarch; his family calls the police only after ruling out a trip to the swamp to dispose of the body.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The local detective turns out to be a bumbling fool in the Inspector Clouseau tradition, quickly dismissing Doland, the most obvious suspect, because the detective can’t imagine that “someone who is in line to inherit such a vast amount of money and land would wish to murder his own flesh and blood father.” Over the next twenty or so pages, the inspector accuses just about everyone in the family of committing the murder — even the dog! — insulting them in the process. In one brittle, funny exchange, for example, the detective suggests that Morass Sloughshire killed Lord Algernon because she was his “secret lover”; when Morass protests that she was, in fact, the victim’s daughter, the inspector exclaims, “That just makes it more repugnant!”

As that conversation suggests, The Spaghetti Strand Murder is more appropriate for teens than kids. The script has several passages of PG-13 jokes about incest (see above), nymphomania (one of the characters mistakenly believes that sufferers are compulsive thieves), and holstered guns that will make teens titter, but are pretty tame compared to the sexual content on, say, prime time television. Fans of Edward Gorey’s The Gashlycrumb Tinies or Cautionary Tales for Children will appreciate Bret Herholz’s elongated, wraith-like figures and exaggerated Gothic settings, both of which owe obvious inspiration to Gorey’s distinctive, cross-hatched style. Given the risque humor and frequent spoofing of drawing room mysteries, The Spaghetti Strand Murder is most likely to appeal to older teens who’ve read Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers; younger readers will find the story too arch and talky to be engaging.

The Unlikely Trio: The Last Barn on the Left
Story and Art by Scott and Callie West
Ages 5 to 10
2008, Alterna Comics, ISBN: 978-1934985014
$3.95, 34 pp.

In the rural town of Slippery Rock, Lil’ Bit, a small but scrappy mouse, accepts a “triple cat dare” from the other rodents living on Mr. Freeman’s farm: he agrees to visit an abandoned barn just down the road, one that supposedly harbors a deadly monster. Lil’ Bit is brash but not foolish, enlisting help from his pals Mr. Butters, a cat, and Abby, a Shetland sheepdog. When the three arrive at the haunted barn, they discover it is inhabited — by a real-life predator. The three must then work together to save Lil’ Bit from becoming a hungry owl’s dinner.

Though the script is brisk and funny, what I liked best about The Unlikely Trio was the artwork. Scott and Callie West’s pencil drawings have a pleasingly organic quality that’s sorely lacking in so many kids’ comics; readers can actually see evidence of a human hand in the linework. The animals are drawn with care, with special attention paid to fur, snouts, and ears, giving them a warm, life-like appearance. Simple layouts and large panels make The Unlikely Trio‘s storyline easy for beginning readers to follow, even if their skills aren’t quite up to the challenge of tackling the script. For readers in the seven-to-ten group, the script will pose fewer difficulties, though some older kids may find the talking animal concept too “babyish” for their taste.

The bottom line: The Unlikely Trio is a rare treat, a beautifully crafted comic that has heart, soul, and humor. Best for kids in grades K-2.

N.B. According to the publisher’s website, two dollars of every Unlikely Trio purchase will be donated to the ASPCA.

Review copies provided by the publisher.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Alterna Comicscomics

About Katherine Dacey

Katherine Dacey has been reviewing comics since 2006. From 2007 to 2008, she was the Senior Manga Editor at PopCultureShock, a site covering all aspects of the entertainment industry from comics to video games. In 2009, she launched The Manga Critic, where she focuses primarily on Japanese comics and novels in translation. Katherine lives and works in the Greater Boston area, and is a musicologist by training.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

February 2023

Graphic Novel Series Tie-Ins Encourage Creativity | Roundup

by Katherine Dacey

December 2022

Two Gardening Books to Read Now | Reviews

by Katherine Dacey

November 2022

Animal Rescue Friends | Review

by Katherine Dacey

October 2022

Review: Parachute Kids

by Katherine Dacey

June 2022

Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #331 | Preview

by Katherine Dacey

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Strega Nona Stamps Are Coming

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Creating a Collective Black Ancestry: Researcher Kimberly Annece Henderson Discusses Dear Yesteryear

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review: Victory! Stand!

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Book Review: Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave with illustrations by Tom de Freston

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Jarod Roselló on the Magic Behind his 'Red Panda and Moon Bear' Sequel

Q&A: Harmony Becker, Creator of "Himawari House"

More and More Manga: An Updated Primer on Japanese Comic Books and Graphic Novels

15 Returning Faces for Graphic Novels Shelves | Series Update

10 Manga Titles for Teens Who Watch Anime

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Alterna Comics raising funds to avoid bankruptcy | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment says:
    June 6, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    […] Formera and Bret Herholz’s Gorey-esque Sherlock Holmes comics. (Kate Dacey reviewed two of their comics for younger readers at Good Comics for Kids.) As is often the case with small publishers, their line is a bit uneven, […]

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023