Written & Illustrated by
Christopher Wing
Published by Action Lab Ent.
Seamus the Famous, the new all-ages graphic novel by Christopher Ring, comes to us steeped in the traditions of Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland, Gene Deitch’s Tom Terrific and Terr’ble Thompson and, most obviously, Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes.
Seamus the Famous is the story of a little boy with an enormous imagination and a pet cat just his size named Fitcher, who talks…at least to Seamus. When his mother throws out a broken toy sword, our heroes suddenly envision themselves as pirates in days of old, and thus begins a day full of danger and adventure!
You see, Seamus and Fitcher are, of course, the GOOD kind of pirates, who contribute a portion of their pirate booty to an orphanage where Seamus’s crush also happens to live. In typical grade school fashion, Fitcher constantly ribs his buddy about her.
The little girl is kidnapped by bad pirates, however, who use her as bait to follow and entrap the diminutive Captain and his furry sidekick as they follow a long-lost map to close in on a legendary pirate treasure.
Some first class sequential storytelling from Christopher Ring, a guy best known for more traditional children’s book art. At a not too long/not too short 64 pages, it’s all paced just about right, with sharp dialogue every step of the way. Fitcher gets all the best lines such as…well…Spoilers. There are also some genuine scares that avoid going overboard (pirate pun intended).
It all ends where these kinds of fantasies must always end, but with the promise of more to come.
Booksteve recommends.
