Kibuishi, editor of the high-quality Flight graphic anthologies and author-artist of the powerful Amulet series, brings his fantasy sensibility and melancholy tones to the classic adventures-of-a-boy-and-his-dog model. Originating as a webcomic of mostly single-page tales, Copper reverses the classic Charlie Brown Snoopy dynamic by making the boy, Copper, a bright, optimistic adventurer and plaguing the dog, Fred, with deep existential angst: Do people care about me? Why can't I stop worrying? Will things ever get better than this? Despite their differences, their bond remains strong through many flights of imagination vigating a dangerous forest of giant mushrooms, surviving a crash landing in a homemade airplane at run from the lyrical to the downright apocalyptic. Illustrated in a deceptively simple style, its solemn tenor and deep strangeness will make the book a hard sell to casual readers but will likely inspire heavy investment from those who prefer a somewhat off-kilter read. Includes highly informative back matter on the production end of comic books, from first concept to final color work.

First introduced as a webcomic and then in the Flight anthologies, wide-eyed Copper and his fretful dog Fred smoothly transition into their own collection of tales. Told in short vignettes interspersed with a few longer interludes, this episodic volume is a compilation rather than a single story with an overarching narrative. Reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes, Copper and Fred have fantastic, imaginative adventures, where the quietly ordinary becomes extraordinary. Portrayed through a contemporary lens, Copper and Fred live in a post-9/11 world and have very real fears that manifest throughout; Fred is often apprehensive about the world at large, though he's nicely balanced by Copper, who radiates an innocent optimism. While fanciful, Copper and Fred's exploits never spill outside of their panels, which establish a fixed boundary to their otherwise fantastic world. Those seeking similar action and thrills of Kibuishi's fan-favorite Amulet series may be disappointed; this is a more muted work, with a subtle philosophical undercurrent. For thoughtful readers, this whimsical pastiche of imagination and dreams may be just the ticket. (Graphic fiction. 9-12)

Gr 4 Up-This collection of comic shorts details the wildly imaginative adventures of a boy and his talking dog, Fred. Most of the stories take up a page or two; others are a bit longer. The variety of full-color cartoons makes the book interesting to go through. Readers never know what type of comic format to expect on the next page but will be assured that it is another fun adventure. In a 12-page concluding section, the artist shows how he creates a "Copper" comic. The stories are humorous, and sometimes deeply philosophical, making them appeal to a wide audience. Nancy D. Tolson, Mitchell College, New London, CT

This brief compilation of KibuishiÆs webcomic should satisfy any fan of his work. Copper is an optimistic boy off on fun adventures with his pessimistic dog, Fred. Each comic places them in situations that range from bewildering to sweet, from out of this world unusual to everyday situations. For example, the one-page comics range from surfing to imagining being a character in a video game to dreaming of robots and outer space. The multiple-page stories are reprints from the Flight anthologies edited by Kibuishi. In addition to the comics found within these pages, Kibuishi also walks readers through his creative process. The shining gem in these comics is Fred. His character is a mixture of old-school pessimism and joyful dog. Any dog lover will relish the panels, such as the one depicting when he discovers his tail and starts to chase it or the comic Somersaults that takes place in a dog park. His pessimism and regular common sense balances out CopperÆs enthusiastic optimism. The artwork is complete with simple digital coloring techniques. Kibuishi reports in his behind-the-scenes section that he creates Copper with simpler methods than his other graphic novels, which adds to the clean look in his panels. This inside information adds to an already solid book and makes it a winner for a graphic novel reader.ùKristin Fletcher-Spear.