Take one imaginative girl, throw in an invisible yeti and a mysterious organization bent on getting him back, and you have makings of a great comic from Roger Langridge and BOOM! Studios.
ABIGAIL AND THE SNOWMAN #2
Writer: Roger Langridge
Artist: Roger Langridge
Colorist: Fred Stresing
Letterer: Roger Langridge
Editor: Rebecca Taylor
Publisher: kaboom! (BOOM! Studios)
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Abigail and the Snowman: Abigail is the “odd girl” at her new school. She’s having trouble meeting friends, and to top it all off, her dad is looking for a new job. Just when the young girl is at her lowest, a runaway yeti shows up to make her acquaintance.
IT FOLLOWED HER TO SCHOOL ONE DAY
Things are looking up for young Abigail as this issue kicks off; her dad has a few more odd jobs to pay the bills and provide food for the month, and when Claude goes with Abigail to school, she’s suddenly the coolest kid on the playground. It gets really interesting when government agents show up in Abigail’s class to haul Claude, the yeti, away. The situation goes from funny to hilarious faster than you can bonk two bald guy’s heads together. And there is a poop joke!
Roger Langridge once again nails the joys and troubles of the world as seen through the eyes of a young girl, and is able to make it serious without becoming completely depressing – and let’s face it, the life’s tragedies Abigail is facing are pretty depressing. As I mentioned last time, I really feel for Abigail’s father; he wants to give his daughter everything in the world, but you can tell it troubles him deeply when Abigail’s entire class shows up for the father/daughter/one friend hamburger outing. Though I want some kind of magical happy ending, where dad and daughter don’t have to worry about their financial situation, I kind of expect Langridge to keep everything in perspective with elements of happiness combined with the realities of the world.
TRADITIONAL FUN
Roger Langridge’s style simply screams “fun” on every page. The cartoony style is perfect for an all-ages title, and yet the art doesn’t become stiff and boring like many of the young reader books I’ve seen over the last couple of years. Faces are extremely expressive, characters stand and act realistically based on their body type, stature, and mood, and Langridge does an excellent job of drawing invisible yetis. That may seem like a goofy statement, but when Claude is not seen from the grownup point of view, it would be very easy to have height and volume of an invisible character to get screwed up in the process. That isn’t the case here, and those panels featuring bumbling agents and invisible Claude are the best.
BOTTOM LINE: BUY THIS BOOK
Whether it is a grownup dealing with the stress of providing for his child, the magic of a crazy monster who wants to be friends, or even dealing with the idea of a young child making friends in a new location, Abigail and the Snowman #2 continues to tell a fantastic story. This is an all-ages book and reading this with your young child, or simply talking about it with one who can already read, should provide quality family time for everyone. If the rest of the comic book world is getting you down, pick up Abigail and the Snowman #2. It will bring a smile to your face.
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