May 15, 2020
Could an ambitious young janitor become an explorer? Young Billy Johnson works as a custodian at the Explorers League, where he aspires to be an Ace Explorer, just like Hal Hardwick. Clad in his omnipresent tie and bearing a sword named Mr. Jabbers at his side, the pompadoured Billy and his best friend--an anthropomorphic white duck named Barrace who is a renowned college professor--embark upon swashbuckling adventures. In this episodic graphic novel, Billy and Barrace set out on four thrilling quests, including a trip into a volcano near the ruins of the once-great Monkey Kingdom, the capture of an enchanted ring in the hall of the Ghost King, an expedition to find the mysterious desert-dwelling Atlas Bear, and a battle against magical monsters in the Hero Trials. Once he completes his missions, will Billy finally be allowed to join the Explorers League? First-time author and illustrator New's full-color, blazingly paced tale is self-contained so readers may pick up and enjoy the abundant madcap silliness out of sequence. Despite the bite-sized vignettes, there is an overarching and unresolved narrative thread, leaving just enough intrigue to fuel subsequent exploits. While only a handful of humans are present in this volume, Billy and the majority are white; unnamed background characters encompass a more diverse spectrum. A quirky graphic debut. (Graphic fantasy/adventure. 7-11)
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July 1, 2020
Grades 2-5 Billy Johnson's late parents were famous explorers, and he'd love to follow in their footsteps. He has great instincts, but no one at the Explorer's League takes him seriously (mostly because he never has anything to show for his adventures). Along with his trusty duck companion, Professor Barrace, Billy travels the world getting into peril, and at every turn, he's rescued at the last minute by a mysterious being. New brings a great sense of comedic timing to Billy's episodic adventures, which are full of one-liners and over-the-top situations, all rendered in densely illustrated panels full of bright colors, bold outlines, and cartoonish figures. There's a lot to take in, so key details could get lost for kids unaccustomed to the comics format, but some deep mysteries, like Barrace's backstory, the identity of the creature rescuing Billy, and the cloaked figure surveilling him from afar, propel the story forward. While there's no hint of resolution to those overarching plot threads, Billy's madcap exploring, touched with grounding moments of tenderness, is entertaining enough on its own.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)