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Searching... Salem Main Library | TEEN GRAPHIC Erb, G. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Twenty-five years ago the Kingdom of Valdonia was under siege by an army ofdarkness. The magical forces of good only had one hope -- a chosen onedestined to lead them to victory. Douglas Peterson was that hero. Only hewasn't. He was an 8-year-old boy from Earth scared out of his mind! Thefrightened boy turned tail and skedaddled, hoping to never see his childhoodwonderland again. Now as an adult, Doug is about to learn that his adventure inValdonia was only beginning and that there are some things you can never runaway from.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-A secret door into another world, the battle of good vs. evil, redemption-these elements are so common in fantasy that they have long been cliches. The Return of King Doug takes the lot of these epic journey tropes and gives them a tweak by injecting sarcasm and humor. On vacation with his family, eight-year-old Doug discovers the fantastical Kingdom of Valdonia hidden down a well. Hailed as the chosen one who will lead a victory over the Dark Witch, he is not quite ready to accept his role and leaves the inhabitants of Valdonia high and dry. Flash forward 25 years. Doug is a divorced, directionless, video-game-playing father. When his son is dropped off for a weekend, Doug takes the youngster to his family's old vacation house. There Oscar is pulled into Valdonia, and Doug goes in after him, discovering a kingdom much different than the one he left. He finds his son and his courage, defeating the Dark Witch. The authors never leave an opportunity for humor unexploited. The tone is certainly sarcastic, often with wisecracks that provide solid (if a bit immature) laughs. The black-and-white illustrations are crisp and clear, smoothly conveying the story with an animation quality that is easy to follow. It's all entertaining enough, with an irreverence that will please many graphic-novel fans, but an additional purchase overall.--Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
As a child, Doug Peterson climbed down a well near his family's vacation house and found a mythical land called Valdonia. The magical creatures of this world, who were engaged in a war with a dark queen, named Doug their king, and it was prophesied that he would lead them to victory. But Doug returned to his parents and the city, forgetting all about his mission. Years later, Doug, now a slacker 33-year-old with a son named Oscar, heads to the vacation house and end up taking on the adventure he left behind as a boy. The story is told with a light touch and plenty of gags, with modern conveniences like cellphones employed as weapons, and Doug's laid-back attitude getting them both into trouble. Clark's drawings are action-packed and full of movement, and he does a great job showing the pair's progression toward maturity through expressions and gesture. The lesson is, after all, about growing up, and both Doug and Oscar return to their world with a new attitude about commitment. That said, the moral of the story is never heavy-handed, and this fun read can be embraced by younger readers as well. Ages 13-up. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
It has been 25 years since Doug last visited the magical Kingdom of Valdonia as an eight-year-old. Now an unemployed loser and single father, he's completely forgotten it even exists, or that he was the chosen one destined to knock the evil queen from her throne; he instead fled back to our much safer world. It seems, however, fate cannot be outrun after all, and he finds himself back in Valdonia to rescue his son from the hopelessly bleak world where the once-happy Tumtums have become downright suicidal, and the noble centaurs of old are now slovenly boozers barely spry enough to remember the glory days. Erb and Oremland have a great deal of fun playing with traditional fantasy conventions featuring slapsticky humor that isn't above going for crotch-shots or bodily fluid jokes. Clark's finely inked black-and-white linework immediately brings Jeff Smith to mind probably no accident. Rumor has it Ben Stiller and DreamWorks are working on a movie adaptation, so anticipate demand for this ironic graphic-novel adventure.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2009 Booklist