Fabulous
Volume The platypus Toto and the lord of the fogs was released in the series My First Comics 5+, i.e. it is dedicated to the youngest readers to read independently, as well as to read with their parents. Those who had the opportunity to read / watch the first volume will surely remember that this comic is characterized by a very original line, giving the message an amazing atmosphere. But from the beginning. The plot of the second volume is not complex and is as follows: Big-eared Rabbit is seriously injured. The forest doctor has to prepare a medicine and for this purpose he sends the title character and his friends – Chichi the spike, Wawa the koala and Rina the bat – on an expedition. Its goal is to get several important ingredients, incl. strands of hair of the legendary bloodthirsty creature, the heroine of many terrifying stories. This mythical creature is a Bunyip. Éric Omond’s script does not allow us to ignore this proposal.
Simplicity of the message? What about the graphics?
The story told on the pages of the comic book seems simple. As it is a kind of noveltyin the book market and fills the gap for the story with Australia in the background, its content can effectively interest the recipient. While reading, the youngest learn about the great power of friendship, and they also learn that judging someone hastily is not the best solution. Looking carefully at the artistic side of the comic, however, I would not recommend it for the youngest children; it seems to me that it could bring more joy to school-age audiences. Yoann’s illustrations, as can be seen in the attached scans, are very imaginative and may cause goose bumps in more sensitive recipients. It would be good if every parent who decides to introduce their charges to the world of the Toto platypus, would take a moment to familiarize themselves with the French artist’s illustrations.
Visually
The comic was released in a hardcover. The colors are very intense and the drawings combine different styles; on the one hand, they remain uncomplicated (in line with the children’s imagination), on the other – the authors show in the comic everything that the potential recipient would like and would not want to see (at the same time). The labels show the heroes with descriptions and likenesses (it is very useful if, for example, we haven’t read the first volume); it’s just a pity that both end papers look the same (information is duplicated). I also regret that the publishers did not rethink the layout of the back cover – the graphics could be much larger, and the font – more readable. The potential reader may have trouble reading what the latest volume in the Platypus Toto series is about, due to the custom bold text style.
Summary
The comic book Platypus Toto and the Lord of the Fogs is a very original story with thirty or so pages. Certainly, it will not appeal to all recipients, because the graphics are a bit scary and do not always fit the simplified, sometimes naive plot. Consequently, I do not recommend the comic to younger audiences, but to older ones? It seems to me that the best decision is to buy Platypus Toto with the pupils.
