Into the Outlands

The explorers in newcomers Christie and Lang’s graphic novel are furry, Muppet-like creatures with googly eyes, who don’t seem like they could get into much trouble; then things go terribly wrong. Charged with investigating the resources of the outer islands of Crutonia, the crew of experts is headed by Captain Quirk (a nod to Star Trek? This captain keeps a pompously worded logbook, too). Catastrophe strikes almost immediately as giants snack on their boat, stranding them on a remote island. The crew finds semi-safe haven in the cavern of the one-eyed sorceress Hukka, who takes a mysterious interest in their injured winged scout, Zaifer: “We mustn’t leave poor Hukka like last time,” she murmurs to Zaifer, after she drags him off to a corner of the cavern where the others can’t find him. The pacing is snappy, engaging plot twists abound, and so do intriguing characters, like the cheerful little Yoons. Why aren’t they scared of the marauding giants? “We Yoons is poisonous!” “No eat us!” Readers will hope for a sequel, and the cliffhanger ending promises one. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)