Doodlesville #2: Art Attacks!: (A Graphic Novel) by Chad Sell might not be as strong as the first book in the Doodlesville series, but it is still an interesting story about growing up, self esteem and teamwork. It would be best to read both volumes back-to-back (so if you have read volume one it just means you need to read it again). Chad Sell has a style that you can see in this series and their other series, The Cardboard Kingdom. Which is lighthearted, humorous and with a message. Things might not always flow as you want them too, or the story arcs in the direction you wanted or was thinking, but it goes the way it is needed. Doodlesville and The Cardboard Kingdom deal with diverse characters and with the exceptions, things are presented as “normal” and are naturally dealt with.
The idea of using doodles and art to bring about the lessons is not necessarily new, but the modern approach does allow for it to be slightly fresh. The biggest issue I have is that the adults of the story seem to be fine with doodles just creating chaos, mayhem, and goofiness. They are fine with a dragon-like creature popping in and out of ‘reality” to go into the paintings of an art museum. They are fine that famous paintings and sculptures are really destroyed beyond repair (but that’s okay, they have a great restoration team. Let’s just say, I didn’t see any magic wands). However, this is the adult in me and not the kid or child reader. They will love the antics and humor of the situations. The art is nice, simple, without being overwhelming or too busy, but gets the job done. However, there are few of them that are a little cartoon-action and are a bit off putting (the character of one painting, Dorian Gray, who we are casually mentioned is not a book for kids, turns into a Picaso painting if he and a less intense Stephen King worked with silly putty).
There is another series Chad Sell’s works on, The Stupendous Switcheroo: New Powers Every 24 Hours with Mary Winn Heider that if you do not like either Doodlesville or The Cardboard Kingdom, you can try it. This series is a less traditional graphic novel, is a sturdier base, and yet, still has humor and crazy adventures.