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Favorite graphic novel author/artist TenNapel launches an exciting new series with NNEWTS: ESCAPE FROM THE LIZZARKS.

Video game fans my age or a little younger might remember Doug TenNapel as the creator of the quirky Sega video game series Earthworm Jim. More recently, TenNapel has gained younger fans (and plenty of critical acclaim) for graphic novels such as CARDBOARD, BAD ISLAND and TOMMYSAURUS REX. Now TenNapel introduces a new series (and a totally winning protagonist) with NNEWTS BOOK ONE: ESCAPE FROM THE LIZZARKS.

NNEWTSbegan life as a webcomic, and TenNapel's fans will be pleased that it's found new life as a fully developed comic saga. At the center of the story is our reluctant (and surprising) hero, Herk, a young Nnewt forced to spend his life underwater because his legs have never fully developed. His sister keeps him company by playing with him in the "baby pool," and his kind and loving parents do their best, but even his father's magic isn't enough to develop his scrawny legs: "Your legs will be ready in their own time," his father reassures him.

Readers will be eager to find out what's next for Herk and the rest of the Nnewts.

But time is running out for Herk and his family. Even as Herk and his sister play at imaginary conflict, real violence lurks right outside in the form of vicious Lizzarks, who soon lay waste to Herk's entire village. Left alone, Herk must flee for his life, relying on wits, quick action and a little bit of magic to help him survive and discover his real legs --- and a hint at his destiny.

Secondary characters provide the bulk of the novel's broad and appealing humor, which helps offset the not-insignificant violence that also characterizes the story. At times, the battle and chase scenes can grow a little disorienting (although that may have been exacerbated by the fact that most of the pages in my advance edition had not yet been colored). But these brief moments of frenetic activity are balanced out by other touching, reflective ones that help keep the story from swimming out of control. One particularly wrenching set of panels depicts a solitary Herk swimming down a long stream, dwarfed by huge plant-eating lizards on its banks. "How will I survive without my mother and father?" Herk asks. "I feel so small without their love."

Fans of the webcomic on which NNEWTS is based will appreciate this more in-depth exploration of character and place, and those new to this world will feel at home right away. The landscape and geography TenNapel creates are richly illustrated, as are the range of reptilian and amphibious creatures who populate it. Readers expecting a fully-realized standalone narrative such as the ones TenNapel has developed in his other recent graphic novels may have to adjust their expectations --- this one wraps up with a heck of a cliffhanger (as well as some surprising revelations), and readers will be eager to find out what's next for Herk and the rest of the Nnewts.

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