Cassius Reviews Atomic Frenchie Vol. 2

Seems like Dogs Days of Summer is still going strong.  Today Cassius joins us for a review of a book which would be enjoyed by young or old alike!

TITLE: Atomic Frenchie Vol. 2 - The Cow with the Nuclear Heart

AUTHORS: Tom Sniegoski and Tom McWeeney

PUBLISHER: Insight Kids

PUBLISHING DATE: May 7, 2019

FROM GOODREADS: Kirby the French bulldog, OB the turtle, and the ghost of Erasmus J. Peckinpah embark on a road trip to the mysterious Area 51, hidden in the wastelands of the Nevada desert. Erasmus has convinced Kirby to help resurrect his cryogenically frozen body (which they've brought with them in the trunk of an old Cadillac Eldorado they're driving) by acquiring a nuclear heart currently inside the chest of a cow at the facility. 

On their journey, the gang encounters the angry spirit of an old prospector, a motorcycle gang with a grudge against French bulldogs, and last but not least, a full-fledged alien invasion! 

From New York Times best-selling author Tom Sniegoski and renowned comic artist Tom McWeeney comes the new and hilarious sequel to Atomic Frenchie, an original middle-grade graphic novel series about Kirby, the world’s most diabolical supervillain. 

CASS' THOUGHTS: This book was so much fun!  It was a combination of a graphic novel and narrative and if there's a word for that forgive me, I am a dog after all.  Anyway, that means it told a great story but I also got to see fun pics of Kirby, OB and Marie Claire, the cow.

So Kirby is basically trying to help Erasmus J. Peckinpah come back to life.  And to do that, they need Marie Claire's mechanical, nuclear heart.  The gang travels to Area 51 to find Marie Claire and complete the procedure.  Kirby doesn't mind helping Erasmus, but he really wants all of Erasmus' scientific plans and blueprints so he can take over the world.  The gang gets into all kinds of trouble, meets some bratty aliens and their mother, and recruits a intellectually-challenged biker.

I really liked Kirby even if I don't agree with his plans to take over the world.  I mean, not all humans are bad, right?  Mom says maybe the world should be run by a dog though so maybe she is on to something - she is Mom after all.  She also says Kirby reminds her a lot of my brother, Barkley.  I only knew Barkley for about 7 months but I totally agree he had the attitude and the smarts for world domination.  The other characters are fun and there is a great cliffhanger which means hopefully there will be a volume 3.  I was a tad worried about Marie Claire and how she would survive without her heart but don't worry, Kirby always has a plan.

I highly recommend you pick up this book. It's a quick read but substantial (look Mom, big word) enough to pack quite a tale.  Please please please be a volume 3.

And hey Mom, can I have a turtle?

CASS'S RATING: 5 PAWS

COYER CHALLENGE UPDATE: Read a book with a number in the title.

Dog Days of Summer - Atomic Frenchie #ThePawistheLaw

TITLE: Atomic Frenchie: Sit. Stay. Rule.
AUTHORS: Thomas E. Sniegoski and Tom McWeeny
PUBLISHER: Insight Comics
PUBLISHING DATE: April 17, 2018

FROM GOODREADS: Kirby is no ordinary French Bulldog—he is twenty-two pounds of fur-covered ruthless ambition. Freakishly intelligent and determined, he has one goal: Rule the World.

When Kirby, a French Bulldog with a serious Napoleon Complex, moves to a new home in the quaint New England town of Strasburg, Massachusetts, and stumbles upon a forgotten secret laboratory, he realizes that his dreams of Planetary Conquest are finally within paw's reach. But, suddenly, Kirby realizes he isn’t alone. Seemingly out of nowhere, a strange group of people appear, exhibiting what Kirby can only describe as superpowers! Kirby must rise up against all who stand in his way to emerge victorious in this ultimate quest for world domination.

The Atomic Frenchie is the first book in a series following the adventures of Kirby, professional supervillain and future ruler of Earth, as he schemes and battles his way past evil library robots, supernatural cat ladies, superpowered mail men, and more bizarre characters to achieve his sinister dreams of ruling the world.

MY THOUGHTS:  So one day Kirby and his best turtle friend, OB, learn they are being moved to the suburbs by their family or as Kirby sees them, their servants.  Although initially unsure of the move, things start to look up when Kirby finds a secret underground laboratory beneath the garage,  One night he is visited by a spectral scientist who used to reside in the home and together, they all explore the lab and let's just say an experiment is done on Kirby which should really scare the world in general.  Now Kirby is dead set on achieving complete world domination.

To say I loved this book is an understatement.  It's done in combination novel/graphic novel style and I found it super easy to get lost not only in the artwork but also in the story.  I loved Kirby but have to admit, he is also a tad scary.  Let's just say there is no room for obnoxious kid neighbors in Kirby's universe.  The authors also manage to introduce some characters toward the end of the book which I am sure will play important roles in future installments.  

Never have a seen such a small pup with such a huge ego. Yet he does have some endearing qualities.  Wait, who am I kidding, he so full of himself yet you can't help but love him.  In fact, he's the perfect antihero.   If you love dogs, run, don't walk, to your nearest retailer and grab a copy of this book. It's beautifully done and will be a wonderful addition to my shelves.  I just can't wait to see what Kirby is up to next!  

RATING: 5 Paws

I read this as part of the Dog Days of Summer #DDOS readathon hosted by LaLa in the Library and Jo's Book Blog.