April
28 The Ghouly Boys #1-2

SLG Publishing, black and white, 25 pages

So? The rhyming narratives that begin the first two issues ofThe Ghouly Boys set the tone for the series. An Aesop fable of sorts, The Ghouly Boys whimsically reminds us that appearances aren't always what they seem and real monsters tend to come in human form.

The story follows a boy resurrected as a zombie by his gypsy mother after an accidental fall from a tree. She exchanges her life for his leaving him in the care of an orphanage. Kids can be cruel, especially when you're blue-skinned with a mouth sewn shut. The poor boy must constantly withstand name-calling and his daily gruel. Heap a bitter headmistress on top of that, and you have a pretty miserable existence even for someone undead. Friendship arrives in the overweight form of a flight-challenged bat. Hope soon follows when a good-hearted couple, Norman and Maggie, adopt the boy and his bat.

The second issue opens with a mad dash through a forest by a werewolf couple running from a mob of hunters. The she-wolf deposits a swaddled bundle in the forest as she and her mate lure the hunters away. The twist on this werewolf tale is that the boy-pup turns into a human during the full moon. In true "Bambi" fashion, a BLAM echoes through the forest. The boy and his bat witness the selfless sacrifice and take in the boy-pup. His happy family takes on this new member who is both little brother and family pet.

Christopher creates tales that are two parts cute, one part comedy, a dash of melancholy and all heart. Upcoming issues will bring the other "members" of The Ghouly Boys into this misfit fold. Grade: B