I must have been the right frame of mind because Student Ambassador V01 The Missing Dragon was what I was looking for, and I knew that any other time had I read it, I would not have enjoyed it half as much. This is a cute story that is humorous, has a nice message, and at first the hyperbolic tone and actions was a bit much to take, but once I said, “Go for the ride,” it worked out fine. And I actually learned a few things, too.
We have two young kids, one Joseph a Student Ambassador who knows how to be a darn good one. He knows how to talk to crocodiles, save people from being eaten
by said crocs, and stopping wars with baby dictators. And we have the young, spoiled, bratty King Nang (when being almost kidnapped, he sleeps like a baby, only to wake when someone “touches his candy”). In a comedy of errors (and for the adult reader obvious twists), the two boys learn what friendship is all about. And in the process they might just stop a tragic event that would affect several nations. While the country our young King is from is fictitious, we do end up in Korea and Japan. And while there is some information about superstitions (that come in terribly handy), and animals (a monkey that washes its food in Japan), the main theme is the humorous story of the boys trying to figure out who is to blame for trying to start a war, who has the missing dragon. And in the middle of it all, due to Korean comics, we learn the basics of reading a few words in Korean and start solving the mystery of what or who the missing dragon is.
Ryan Estrada is the coauthor of several graphic novels, but this journey with illustrator Axur Eneas was a hoot. And because of the “code” of the Korean words, you can find some hidden titles in the names of several of the business we see on the page. Some of them are his works, but others are popular titles by other authors (and over half I had read. I realized this by the ending with its afterwards answer key). There is also a bit in the afterwards section that was fun if you are interested.
The artwork of Eneas was over the top silly, but fun as well. And it is crowded at times, but still, you are able to focus on what is needed. The cover is a decent representation, of what you will find, but you do need to see inside to get the bigger picture. I was thinking the images looked Nick-At-Nite like, but then I saw “Cartoon Network” was a place Eneas had worked, and that is what they look like. Just, big, bubble-like imagery that isn’t overly detailed, but does get the job done.
The characters are about eight-years-old, and the book is probably best for strong seven to ten.
