After Luke's brother died, he's avoided the woods where it happened, but a brilliant magenta flash in the forest is hard to ignore. There, he picks up an odd device, runs into a trio of inept bad guys, and is whisked away by a team of good guys (how can a robot Abraham Lincoln be bad?). His rescuers are trying to keep the device out of the wrong hands, but there's a hitch: it's locked around Luke's wrist. Grine's brightly colored artwork has the look of Pixar animation, from the slick, comical character designs to the deeply expressive faces. As Luke travels interdimensionally, he and his new friends valiantly fight grotesque giant insects, not to mention their bumbling pursuers, in a Wild West-like setting, but the biggest challenge is more philosophical: can, or should, Luke go back in time to save his brother? While the beginning and ending of the story are jarringly different from the lively action elsewhere, the emotional stakes help keep the story grounded. Hand to fans of Craig Thompson's Space Dumplins (2015).

This graphic novel opens with brothers Luke and Kyle encountering dangerous bullies in the woods. Months after Kyle's death, in the same woods, Luke gets sucked into a parallel universe where a robotic Abe Lincoln, a ghost, a dinosaur, and a scientist are being pursued for a powerful device. The madcap sci-fi adventure rolls out cinematically in action- and emotion-packed color panels.

A year after the worst day in Luke's life, a chance encounter in the forest sparks a grand adventure.Luke and his older brother, Kyle, are playing in the woods when a gang of bullies causes an accident that leaves Kyle dead and Luke without his brother and best friend. A year later, a flash in the forest leads the white boy to a strange device that clamps onto his forearm. Then, chased by a mummy, a skeleton in a spacesuit, and "vampire Napoleon," Luke is rescued by an equally odd team: a robot Abe Lincoln, an Asian-featured ghost named Artemis, a dinosaur named Zinc, and Doc—the white inventor who, it turns out, invented the device on Luke's arm. The mummy, skeleton and Napoleon are after the device, which facilitates access to the multiverse. To evade them, Luke and his new friends shift to an alternate Earth where spiders the size of humans inhabit what looks like the Old West. With the bad guys on their trail, can the good guys rescue a kidnapped Abe Lincoln and keep the device out of the hands of their pursuers' diabolical boss? Grine's time-and-space adventure is a full-color, action-stuffed tale with plenty of slapstick and sarcastic humor. Luke's ragtag new acquaintances are an interesting bunch, and the villains are suitably silly and sinister. As satisfying and enjoyable as a big-budget animated sci-fi feature. (Graphic science fiction. 9-12)

Luke, still mourning his brother-s accidental death while protecting him from bullies, has a run-in with a mummy, a skeleton in a space suit, and a vampiric Napoleon Bonaparte in the woods near his home. Before Luke becomes their next victim, a band of -time-travelling, dimension-hopping fugitives- swoops in and brings him to a parallel dimension that resembles the Wild West, except that it-s populated by humanoid insects. Luke-s motley crew consists of a young ghost, Artemis; a robot version of Abraham Lincoln; crotchety inventor Doc; and a beaked tyrannosaur named Zinc-they-re just as oddball a group as the villains pursuing them. Grine (Chickenhare) hooks readers quickly and powerfully with the death of Luke-s brother before transitioning into the kooky hijinks that follow; the villains, in particular, are hilariously hapless in the tradition of Pokémon-s Team Rocket or Skeletor-s henchmen in He-Man. The clean backgrounds, dynamic perspectives panels, and bold linework emphasize action and physical comedy, but the story-s thoughtful consideration of grief and destiny nicely counterbalances its wilder twists and turns. Ages 8-12. (May)

Gr 3-7A few months after the accidental drowning death of his brother, Luke discovers a strange, glowing device in the woods behind his home. When he is attacked by a trio of dangerous monsters looking for the object, he inadvertently uses it to escape, along with another group of strangers who are seeking the device, to a parallel dimension inhabited by cowboy insects. There, Luke learns that the device can transport people through the multiverse and even through time. His new friends have been on the run, keeping the device from a powerful villain determined to use it to control the multiverse. Will they be able to escape being eaten or captured long enough for the device to recharge and get Luke home? And if the device really can move people through time, can he possibly save his brother? The art is similar in style to that of Jeff Smith's "Bone" books. Simple, clean, and attractive, it fits the tone of the narrative but doesn't do much to propel the story. Though this first installment in a new graphic novel series is an entertaining and funny adventure, there are some holes in the plot and some thinly drawn characters. Luke is the most well-developed character, and while readers will easily empathize with him and his situation, even some of his choices are contrived. However, these issues may be addressed in subsequent books, and the story's premise and action are engaging. With the device, the narrative literally has the potential to go anywhere. VERDICT For graphic novel fans who appreciate plenty of action and adventure.Erik Knapp, Davis Library, Plano, TX