Two Incredibly Awful Kids' GN's You Should Give a Pass

278. Jurassic Strike Force 5 by Neo Edmund. Art by J. L. Giles-Rivera

Rating: (1/5)

Sept. 10 2013, Zenoscope, 172 pgs

Age: 8+

"Backed by his army of evil, mutated Dino-soldiers, there's nothing that can stop him... .nothing but Jurassic Strike Force!"

Received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is so bad it was actually painful to read.  Totally mindless, no story beyond good guys fighting bad guys and no character development.  Halfway through my mind turned to mush and I forced myself to finish the thing.  It read like an adaptation of a bad cartoon episode.

279. Horrendo's Curse: The Graphic Novel by Alison Kooistra. Art by Remy Simard. Based on the book by Anna Fienberg

Rating: (2/5)

Jul. 11 2013, Annick Press, 104 pgs

Age: 8+

"There never lived a boy more polite than Horrendo. Cursed at birth, he can speak only kind words while everyone else in his village spews revolting insults. But as his twelfth birthday arrives, Horrendo's very good manners are about to get him into a heap of trouble.

Each year, pirates come to the village and abduct all the twelve-year-old boys as their slaves. Despite training in Herculean Headlocks, Rude Remarks, and Oar Throwing, Horrendo and his friends are worked to the bone aboard the ship. Horrendo endures with typical good grace, winning over the pirates' stomachs with his delectable cooking -- but enraging the heartless Captain.

When Horrendo hatches a cunning escape plan, a hazardous journey to a deserted island ensues. In the end, teamwork prevails, and the boys return home, forever changed, with their new pirate friends."

Received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

A mixed-up, uneven tale with a lot of action and silly, gross-out humour that doesn't fulfill its potential.  I've never heard of the book, the graphic novel is based upon, so can't compare.  The beginning is confusing, what is happening is simple enough but I wanted to know why.  A variety of events happen one after the other sometimes leaving plot points to fizzle out. Things seem to jump around as there is little or no segue between scenes. The characters were oddballs but evoked no compassion or emotion from the reader.  Finally a cliched and predictable plot left me bored: town gets raided by pirates every year, pirates come to raid and loot and take all 12yo boys, boys become slaves on vile Captain's ship, they mount a mutiny and all ends well.  Had the potential to have been good but does not pan out at all.  Blah!