Cardboard

I've been making my way through a long list of books recommended by a librarian friend of mine. Thanks to her positive review of "Ghostopolis", I checked out the book, liked it, then decided to see what other books the author had under his belt. After enjoying the likes of "Tommysaurus Rex" and "Bad Island", I was excited to see what this quirky-sounding premise had in store, and I wasn't disappointed.Life isn't going well for young Cam and his dad, Mike. They don't have much money, jobs are in short supply, and they're still reeling from the recent death of Cam's mom/Mike's wife. Desperate to get something for Cam's birthday, Mike buys a cardboard box off a mysterious old man who warns him that there may be consequences if his certain rules for purchase aren't followed. Wanting to make the best out of a bad situation, Cam and his dad create a statue of a man out of the cardboard.....but then, to their utter shock, their creation comes to life! Pretty soon, the two are having fun with their new man-made friend, Bill, and then find a way to manufacture even more magical cardboard for themselves. But when the neighborhood bully, Marcus, discovers their secret, he quickly hatches a scheme to amass an army of cardboard servants for himself. And when his plans spin out of control and his creations turn against him, it'll be up to the father and son duo to stop the cardboard militia before they overtake the world.The sketchy art style that made up "Ghostopolis" is back again here, with simple panel layouts that evoke the style of reading a newspaper comic. But the art CAN get detailed, with dramatic lighting and angles when need be. Even in the moments where there's no dialogue, a lot is conveyed in just a few panels or a simple facial expression.Cam is an imaginative, good kid who acts as the voice of reason (even more so than his dad). Mike (who I'd argue is the actual real protagonist of this story) is still struggling to pick up the pieces after the death of his wife, and his utter desperation to make anything go right for his family winds up being the catalyst for most of the chaos to follow. And when backed into a corner, the circumstances force him to have to step up as a father, face his problems, and move on. He and his son's creation, Bill, is a loveable, bumbling oaf who's also surprisingly wise, and questions if he can truly be called human or not. Ultimately, his heroic actions teach Cam and his dad how to be a good person. Even Marcus, who starts off as a stereotypical bully, sees development. When we find out why he acts the way he does, he becomes more sympathetic, and the harsh lesson he learns forces him to become a better person.In fact, all the characters are going through some sort of rough patch in life, and are living in a respectable "box" as it were; using whatever means they have to retreat to a fantasy world. But when confronted with warped, cardboard duplicates of themselves and reality itself, they all will learn that they have to be the change they want to see in the world, and only they can build their own futures and not someone else. Even better is the more subtle lesson of not abusing the gifts you've been given and asking one's self what it truly means to be human.My only criticism is that the magical old man who gives Mike the cardboard box is basically just a plot device to get the story moving. No explanation is given as to where he or the box came from. A few theories are thrown around as to why the cardboard is "magical", and while I'm okay with leaving certain things a mystery, the only thing that bothers me is that there's apparent rules in place for using the cardboard. The old man says once the cardboard is used up, he can't give any more, and any unused scraps have to be given back to him. No doubt, the chaos that follows is the consequences of what happens when you break said rules, but it's never explained what would've happened if Mike followed the rules to begin with. And after the old man's second appearance, he never shows up again, and the book seemingly completely forgets about him.Despite this one glaring hang up, this is a very unique adventure filled with clever messages, quirky art, cartoon antics, and creative visuals. I'd recommend this to kids and adults alike.

(This review is spoilerish, but not too much). Just received this book today and finished it already!I figured I'd get a review out there while it's still fresh in my mind. In short, this is a story about father and son, creation, corruption, redemption, and friendship... and a little romance for fun too. Each is well handled.I was first introduced to Doug TenNapel's work back in the mid 90's when I played The Neverhood on PC. I've also very briefly played Earthworm Jim, but it's not quite as engraved in my brain. I've also played through his recent game, Armikrog. Strangely enough, this is the first graphic novel of his that I've read, even though these have been his most prevalent artform.This book is yet another example to me of what I like about TenNapel. Perhaps I'm biased because, from what I know of him, we share the same worldview when it comes to religion, politics, and philosophy. I've always wondered whether it was possible for a conservative Christian to exist in the entertainment industry without either making their art shallow in how it expresses their convictions, or making their faith shallow and devoid of substance when they finally express it, if at all.This book shows yet again that TenNapel has done neither. His faith is not painted on the surface of his work as lip surface with nothing underneath. But the truth of his worldview is assumed on every page and is the anchor that holds it down and makes the world of his story coherent. As I read through it, I couldn't help but notice similarities to the story of The Neverhood, though they are both certainly unique stories. Themes of creation, the purpose of that creation being corrupted, and then restored, run through both plots in their own way. There is also a wonderfully refreshing refusal on the author's part to play into the PC culture that so often corrupts art like this. Fathers are fathers. Mothers are mothers. Men are men. Women are women. Jokes about each are funny and unapologetic. This shouldn't be surprising given the willingness TenNapel has shown to speak his mind on such issues in the past.What both stories bring to mind are the parallels they hold to the Christian story. But also the wonderful differences given the humanness of the characters as they create. God created and creation fell. The characters in these stories create, and their creations fall and run wild. However, unlike these stories, our fall and corruption took no power out of God's hands. He laid down his life and had the power to take it up again. He knew that cost from the start. In fact, it was the point of the story. The creating characters in these stories are shocked, surprised, and uncertain, where God is none of those. He has as much control over his story as TenNapel has over those he writes, well... infinitely more-so... yet somehow we as human beings are not fictional and flat.Ok, I'd better not start getting on my theology degree soap-box and start rambling about predestination and free-will. I'll save that for a conversation with Doug TenNapel if I ever get to have one. I'll simply sum up and say this book is great and it has a solid worldview bubbling under the surface. Give it a read whether you share that worldview or not and you're bound to have a good time.

I really like this, the art is brilliant and the story is fun. Its printed on really nice paper too. Want to read something a little different then give this a go.

great book for kids

Doug tennaple does it again. Great read, fun characters and imaginative as all heck. Can't go wrong with anything he has ever written

die Werte vermittelt ohne aufdringlich zu sein. Schick! Zeichnungen, Stil, Story alles wirklich toll.Es geht um einen Jungen der seine Mutter verloren hat, dessen Vater keinen Job bekommt und in sehr finanziell eingeschränkten Verhältnissen lebt. Der Vater möchte ihm gerne ein Geburtstagsgeschenk machen. Für seine paar Cent bekommt er aber nur einen Pappkarton und gute Ratschläge. Er beschliesst dem Jungen etwas aus dem Karton zu basteln. Gemeinsam "bauen" sie einen Boxer. Was sie nicht wissen, der Karton ist magisch und alles, was aus ihm gebaut wird, erwacht zum Leben...Für Kinder ab ca. 8-10 Jahre oder für Erwachsene :)

Douglas Richard "Doug" TenNapel, né le 10 juillet 1966 à Norwalk, California est un américain super cool. Marié, père de quatre enfants, il exerce les activités d'animateur de dessins animés ou jeux vidéo, scénariste/dialoguiste, dessinateur et musicien (!?!). Depuis 2002, au rythme de pratiquement un par an, il publie des romans graphiques que l'on pourra trop rapidement ranger dans la catégorie "pour adolescents".Nous avons eu l'occasion de nous exprimer sur ses travaux les plus récents, tous excellents : ' Power Up ' (2009), ' Ghostopolis ' (2010), et ' Bad Island ' (2011).L'éditeur français Milady a fait l'année dernière une louable tentative d'acclimater au goût français cet auteur -- pour moi l'un des plus notables des années 2010 dans le domaine de la BD --, avec le magnifique ' Ghostopolis '... aujourd'hui 305 752è vente de la catégorie "Livres" chez amazon.frAvec ce nouveau "roman graphique", TenNapel propose en réalité ni plus ni moins qu'une fable, un conte philosophique moderne, conçu et dessiné avec maestria.L'histoire prend place de nos jours, dans la banlieue résidentielle d'une ville nord-américaine. Jeune veuf, Mike est charpentier de profession mais il ne trouve plus d'emploi et se retrouve financièrement en grande difficulté. Pour l'anniversaire de son jeune fils unique Cam, il dégotte pour 78 cents un gros emballage en carton auprès d'un marchand qui lui enjoint de respecter deux règles.Avec ce bout de carton, Mike et Cam vont ensemble fabriquer un personnage qui va prendre vie. Mais Mike ne respecte pas les deux règles énoncées par le marchand et il va s'en suivre une suite de terribles catastrophes.Le pitch, le scénario, la progression dramatique, le découpage, le design des personnages, chaque case sont admirablement conçus et réalisés avec la plus grande efficacité. Les couleurs, magnifiques, sont d'une certaine Der-Shing Helmer, que je crois découvrir et qui est apparemment aussi une extraordinaire auteur de BD.A celles et ceux qui aiment la BD, je ne saurais trop recommander Doug et cet ouvrage en particulier ! Power UpGhostopolisBad IslandGhostopolis