The Great British Bump-Off

I am a big fan of The Great British Bake Off and murder mysteries, and boy was I excited when this series was solicited. The Great British Bump-Off not only marries these two things, it's also written by John Allison, whose work I have been following for decades now. It stars sleuth Shauna Wickle, one of the stars of the webcomic Bad Machinery, as a contestant on a parody version of the esteemed reality baking competition. Someone has poisoned one of the most competitive bakers, and the producers have tasked Shauna with finding the culprit while also being on the show and completing the challenges. Hijinks and suspense ensue.

Drama!

There are a few things that make this book highly appealing. The artwork is cartoonish and dynamic, a great platform for both broad humor and some of the more sinister undercurrents of the plot. The dialogue is snappy, and I found myself laughing and smirking along at this book a few times. The murder mystery plot is a lively one, with plenty of colorful suspects and red herrings, a la Agatha Christie. And if you are a fan of the actual reality competition, like I am, there are plenty of delightful in-jokes and references to the show's many tropes. Still, I feel this book would be attractive to anyone who is not familiar with the show, as these are some excellent comics, and the storytelling is masterfully crafted.

The Great British Bump-Off was created by writer John Allison, artist Max Sarin, colorist Sammy Borras, and letterer Jim Campbell. Allison and Sarin also collaborated on the Eisner Award-winning series Giant Days. Borras colors many comics, most recently in The Phoenix. Campbell has lettered a good number of comics, including Barbaric. Allison talks about his inspirations and work on The Great British Bump-Off in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been glowing. Johana Draper Carlson called it "a joy to read" and added, "The mystery is legitimate, and I was thrilled to follow through the twists and turns." And I completely agree with Tegan O'Neil who wrote, "The problem with The Great British Bump-Off is simply that the series is only four issues long." Nathan Simmons concluded, "Don’t worry if you haven’t watched that series [The Great British Bake Off] before, though; you should still be able to enjoy mystery and the lunacy on display in The Great British Bump-Off, even if you can’t tell a parfait from a trifle."

The Great British Bump-Off was published by Dark Horse, and they provide more information about it here. Fans of this series will be happy to know there is a follow-up, The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt being published right now.

Child Star

Brian "Box" Brown is one of my favorite comics creators, and his prior graphic novels have been nonfiction looks at Andre the Giant, Andy Kaufman, Tetris, and Cannabis. All of these books were very well researched and obvious labors of love. His latest book is fictional, but it is based in reality and is also obviously well-sourced and personal. Child Star focuses on Owen Eugene, who displays both humor and charisma from a very young age and becomes a huge celebrity.

His life and career is clearly modeled on a melange of people such as Gary Coleman, Emmanuel Lewis, and Macaulay Culkin, but I don't think one would have to know that to enjoy this book. I am knowledgeable enough to get the references to real-life events, but I feel that readers who are not up on 1980s sitcoms and movies would just read this book as a prolonged examination of a person's life. Owen stars in commercials at first but quickly graduates into a hit TV series as well as several movies, cartoons, and other commercial venues in the form of lunchboxes and toys. And, of course, he came up with a catch-phrase that propelled him into the public consciousness but became an anchor as he grew older. Along his path through stardom, he touches a lot of people's lives.

As you can see from the excerpts above, the narrative plays out in multiple forms. There is one level of commentary that runs as a documentary, showcasing the actors, parents, and other people in Owen's life in a series of interviews. Then, there are also lengthy excerpts from fictional TV programs and movies that Owen starred in (which are colored in red, so you can tell the difference from reality).

What is impressive to me about this book is how well it plays like a documentary, with elaborate scenes from his various star vehicles included in extended excerpts. The book plays out in multiple parts, detailing Owen's rise to fame, his stream of successes, his struggles with finding work as he grew older, his disillusionment with the business side of showbiz, his fragile health situation, his dis-junction from his parents, and his eventual late-life slide into obscurity and tabloid fodder. The lengths that Brown went to in fleshing out and realizing this character and his world are extremely impressive. Also I should note the level of affection Brown has for his subject matter. Even though the TV shows and movies depicted have a tongue-in-cheek quality, this book does not parody or mock Owen, holding him in esteem while showing the pitfalls many child stars experienced. As a fan of 1980s and 1990s popular culture, I really enjoyed this book.

All the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly summed up, "This in-the-know skewering of celebrity and pop culture will entertain children of the ’80s as well as their own children." In a starred review in Library Journal, Douglas Rednour remarked that it was "thought provoking and poignant yet honest in its humanity." Paul's Picks called it "an impressively dense and thorough look at the child star phenomenon." Brown speaks more about his work on Child Star in this interview.

Child Star was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and much more here.

Mr. Puffball: Escape from Castaway Island

Another of the wonderful authors I got the chance to meet last weekend at Read Up! Greenville, Constance Lombardo created the book I am reviewing today. Mr. Puffball: Escape from Castaway Island is the third book of a trilogy (I have to admit that I had not read the other two, but that did not stop me from enjoying this book at all). It features a fun tale full of laughs and a skewering of popular culture. The title character Mr. Puffball is a stunt man trying to become a celebrity. And his avenue for finding stardom is competing on reality TV shows. First, he wins the grand prize in Feline Ninja Warrior, a send-up of this show. The fame goes to his head though, and he blows through his new-found fortune in record time.

While languishing on the trash heap of ex-celebrities he hatches a plan to embroil him and his friends in another reality show, Castaway Island (think Survivor). This motley cast of characters features many strong personalities, from the famed star El Gato to body builder/celebrity personal trainer Bruiser to a feisty kitten named Pickles to the martial arts expert Rosie. Part of the fun in reading this book is seeing this cast of characters bounce off each other, part of it is in seeing celebrity culture being ridiculed, and part of it is in delightful cat-themed puns that abound.

First rule of Castaway Island: Help no one!

Also, as you can see from the excerpt above, this book is an illustrated novel, that is a hybrid of pictures and prose in the style of books like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Big Nate series. I thought that the illustrations were hilarious and expressive, and that the interplay of text and images was very well crafted. I had a lot of fun reading the adventures of Mr. Puffball and his crew, and I think many other readers, both young and old would, too.

In addition to the Mr. Puffball trilogy, Constance Lombardo is publishing her fourth work, a children's book titled Everybody Says Meow. She talks more about this latest book in the Mr. Puffball series in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Douglas Gibson felt that this might be the best of the trilogy, adding that "a group of friends choosing connection and empowerment over money and stardom makes for a beautiful and compelling story in a world where even kids can fall prey to our celebrity-obsessed culture." Kira Moody gave it 4 out of 5 stars and called it "lively, funny, and engaging." You can see more reviews of it at Goodreads where it has a 4.38 (out of 5) star rating as of this post.

Mr. Puffball: Escape from Castaway Island was published by Harper, and they offer a preview and more here.