Author: Katie Cook
Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment
Rating: WORTHY!
Charmingly illustrated by Katie Cook.
DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a "galley" copy ebook, supplied by Net Galley. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review. The chance to read a new book is often enough reward aplenty!
Here we are with volume two of Gronk, volume one of which I favorably reviewed in January 2015. If you liked that one as I did, then you will undoubtedly love this one since it's more of the same kind of thing but different. Just like the first graphic novel in this series, it skirted dangerously along the border of being too sweet for consumption, but for me it never drifted over the line enough to turn me off. The comic has its own website, so you can try it yourself before you buy.
Gronk is green and cute, and far too sweet and pleasantly-dispositioned to actually be a monster. She's left her own world and found her way into the author's, where she's rapidly adopted, joining the author, who lives in a rather isolated Canadian cabin with her pet cat and pet dog (who is more of a 'monster' than ever Gronk is). I loved how mischievous Gronk is, and unintentionally troublesome.
Gronk is into everything, and this causes all manner of issues, but it always works out in the end. We learn about Gronk's desire to own an iPad, a visitation from a pug dog and the ensuing fun, Gronk's discovery of 'one-click' ordering, the benefits of snuggle blankets and so on.
I have to say that this volume started off a little slowly for me and I was wondering if I was going to like it, but it didn't take long before I started feeling much warmer towards it as each page slid by. The comic is loaded with pop culture references, doubtlessly some of which I missed. It was replete with Harry Potter references, which seem rather dated these days, but I have to say that Dale makes a really cute Hermione Granger! I recommend this comic.
