"We're just tryin' to be friendly, come and watch us sing and play; we're the young generation and we've got something to say"

FotB Seth T. Hahne, who writes great reviews and then turns around and cranks out his own comics (I hate him so much!), sent me his latest, Monkess the Homunculus, which is a children's book. Hahne notes in the back that he kind of wrote it as a love letter to his wife, which I think we can all agree is just too sappy to discuss (I mean, come on, Seth!), but that doesn't mean we should just dismiss it!

It's a beautiful hardcover, and it costs $18, which seems about right for a nice kids' hardcover book, and this is from someone who has purchased far more hardcover kids' books than you might think possible over the years. Monkess the Homunculus is generally for young kids (my 10-year-old, for instance, is too advanced for it), just in case you're wondering. I will see if my wife wants to read it to my other daughter, because it seems pretty perfect for her (she's a big fan of the "Llama Llama" books, which is about the level we're talking about here). I don't know - I read prose to my daughter, to give her a break from the kids' books occasionally. I just finished reading the best Robert Ludlum book - The Gemini Contenders - to her, and I still don't know why that hasn't been made into a movie yet. I mean, that's just crazy. But where were we? Oh, yes.

Hahne's gentle story is about a homunculus - which he actually defines in the book, so it's educational for the young folk! - who lives on a "science island" and befriends a puffin. That's it. Do they have adventures? Well, sure. I mean, they're not super-duper adventures, but they have a good time together. Basically, the book is about what it means to be a friend. Monkess and Puffin (yes, the puffin's name is - shocking! - "Puffin") are friends, and Hahne makes sure he explains what that means. As I noted, it's a gentle story - Monkess is alone for the first half of the story, but she's not bummed out at all, as she just enjoys life. When she meets Puffin, she just enjoys life a bit more. That's it.

I'd love to write more about it, but I can't really, because that's really all that happens. It's charming, but, given the intended audience, quite slight. But there's nothing wrong with that - the message is as old as the hills but still important. What makes a friend? What do friends do with each other? How do you behave with friends? There's nothing wrong with a story for young kids that shows friends doing friend things.

Hahne's art is quite nice - he definitely changes his style to fit the tone of the book, as his first comic - which was about men urinating in public bathrooms - was geared more toward adults, so the art was a bit more "realistic." The style on Monkess is more cartoonish and a bit simpler, but it's still very good. It reminds me of Janet Lee's art on The Return of the Dapper Men, which I hope everyone realizes is a compliment. Monkess herself is a simple creation, with large eyes that lack irises or pupils, giant hands, and giant feet. Puffin is more realistic, as he actually looks like, you know, a puffin. But just because Monkess is a bit simple doesn't mean that the art is crude. Hahne begins the book with a beautiful beach scene, as the narrator explains that he heard a story that he'd like to tell you. As Hahne shifts to the story, he gives us a wonderful drawing of a neighborhood before moving to the "science island" where Monkess lives. The reason I was struck by it is because Hahne lives in Southern California, so the development looks like something that exists in Arizona (the two states share a lot of similar, Mediterranean-style architecture), and it was keen to see. It's kind of dumb, but I enjoyed seeing it instead of the stereotypical houses of the Northeast or Midwest. Sunbelters unite!!!!

The "science island" is done well, too. The house in which Monkess lives is a beautiful, archaic, delicately detailed mansion, and Hahne does a nice job showing both its ancient majesty and its decrepit current nature.

The final scenes, where Monkess and Puffin and playing underwater, are terrific, with Hahne coloring things just differently enough to show the different status (underwater as opposed to not), and he uses a lot of beautiful blues to deepen the intensity of those pages. There are a few nice "set pieces" - the page where he explains where Monkess does NOT come from is wonderfully designed and kind of weird (a person is emerging from a giant egg, which is a bit odd), and the page where he shows the fun Monkess and Puffin have on the island is very nice, as it shows how they never get bored. Hahne doesn't mess around with too much hatching - the lines are bold and solid, and the coloring is bright and flat, which is part of why the book works for younger kids - it's not fancy, but it's not difficult to parse, either. Hahne doesn't want to confuse anyone, so he keeps everything simple.

I don't have too much to say about the book - Hahne even said I didn't have to review it if I didn't want to, because it is geared toward young kids, but I have a "young kid" (yes, she's 13, but her mental age is much younger), and I have an idea about what works for them. This is a charming story with very nice artwork, and if you have a young kid, it's quite good. Go over to Seth's web site and check it out!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆