Online reader copies have slowly gotten into my reading “pile” for books. Well, one site has and it is dangerous! Dangerous! But then I got an email from Papercutz. Oh how I enjoy them, but how I grumble at the fact they too are online. Unless I want to wait until the end of January 2024/early February 2024 for The Inventor Vol. 1: The Dangerous Discovery. Which, I did not. As it is, it will be hard enough to wait for volume two of this Lars Henrik Eriksen series.
This is the kind of series where the completed story arc is probably the best way to read, as the lead ups and connections could get lost in the wait for the next volume. Also, I am on the fence of “do I or don’t I” like this? Two characters are arrogant in their intelligence (the main character Cobalt and his grandfather), one is just a bully, and the “extras” are not overly flushed out. The best friend (potential love interest) has potential as she starts out with a bit of defiance to her, but after the accident (caused partly by the grandfather’s experimentations and Cobalt’s misuse of this grandfathers experiment) is more fearful. The artwork is shiny, glossy and polished. Stereotypical anime/manga/cartoon imagery. One question I have is that there is a point mentioning the date, but is this an alternative Earth or other world altogether? And I hope they explain the turtles and their importance.
You see, The Inventor is a science fiction story that I am interested in, but not “feeling” as I am sitting there saying to myself, “WAIT! They ended this there! Now what?????? How long do I have to wait to learn about what happens to Cobalt Cogg and his grandfather? Where are they going? What is the “monster” in the house? Why did the energy source do what it did? And seriously, what is up with those turtles?????”
The art is nice and simple, lighthearted, and colorful. There is nothing WOW about them, but they are pleasant enough. The details are there, the support to the story is there and they are typical comic/graphic novel looking anime/manga/cartoon looking. They are cozy and familiar. The best way to explain the text and illustrations is to say it is Pokémon meets Avatar the Last Airbender meets Manga meets most ages 8 to 12/young 13 graphic novels.