The Griff by Christopher Moore and Ian Corson with Jennyson Rosero
Those who like Christopher Moore’s books – You Suck, Fool, and Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, to name but a few of the tamer titles – will be euphoric that he has contributed a story to the world of graphic novels. It should have been a movie, except (according to Moore) people are liars and it never got made, which is why he teamed up with a screenwriter (Ian Corson) to get this little gem out there. The story is a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Independence Day and Free Willy. The heroes are a Squirrel mascot, a street-wise skateboarder, a computer games graphic artist, a wanna-be Navy SEAL, and an Orca trainer. The villains are little green men from outer space and their dragon-like pets. So yes, it is very much a Christopher Moore creation - the dialogue is trademark Moore (complete with the odd expletive), the story is just as antic, the characters are a mixture of the silly and bizarre – some of which are less silly and more bizarre than you want to know. The artwork by Jennyson Rosero is a combination of old-fashioned DC Comic Hero style and the angular expressiveness of Manga, with dark, atmospheric colouring from Cirque Studios fitting for an earth-has-just-been-devastated-by-lizards-flying-amok kind of story (without ever being too gory or gruesome). Do our heroes all make it? No. Are the flying lizards all defeated? No. Does it have a happy ending? Maybe. Is that any reason for not reading The Griff? No. It is irreverent and funny and Whedonesque and a great merriment of an action adventure. Bon appetite!
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