5 out of 5

During Jim’s 30+ year comic career, the solo works to which he’s put his name have varied from downright goofy to mind-bogglingly condensed, with spikes of creativity hitting the relative range inbetween.  But: if there’s something that ties them together, and what makes me not hesitate to pick up any given product on which he works, is that he seems to wholly enjoy what he’s making / made.  This would ideally be true for any creator, but I think that it’s easy enough to get into a rut of making-things-for-the-sake-of-it during which projects only speak to you in bits and pieces.  But every page of a Lawson project is pretty joyous, and when he mixes it in with a compelling narrative, it’s pretty much magic.

This is Lawson’s umpteenth dino-related project.  I’m certainly bias, but if we were to choose another dino-guy mainstay – Ricardo Delgado – my money favors Jim’s dino stuff every time.  Delgado is undeniably an auteur of sorts, but for an artist working in the comic medium, he’s rather selective about what actual comic book elements he’ll include in his works, which makes them gorgeous to look at, but not necessarily wonderful reads.  Jim, on the other hand, learning his craft through years of churning out action and adventure with Mirage, might be incredibly stylized, but the man understands a comic page – what makes it move, how it flows with dialogue – and combined with his clean linework and attentive dino designs, it might not be as naturalistic as Ricardo, but it’s equally masterful in its own way, and a ton more fun to actually read.

‘Dinosaurland’ is my preferred type of kid-fantasy setup, wherein we’re dropped in a reality of oddities – sure, a tour with real dinosaurs that allows kid Matthew to travel through time with a Turtle-man guide – without expositing an unnecessary explanation our way.  I mean, if the point of the book is to build a fantasy world, then sure, explain away, but if the point is to just get us interaction with dinos, then just enough explanation to get our footing is all that’s required, and that’s the approach Jim employs: Matthew approaches the entrance for the tour, Turtleman (John) introduces himself as the guide, and we’re off.  The narration is also how I think it’s best to talk to kids: forget “layered” approaches that pander and put in winks to the adult audience; just talk like a normal freaking person, but treat your listener like they’re on the same level.  Amazingly, it doesn’t come across as condescending (because that’s exactly what it’s not), and without the kid-ifying of concepts, it can still work for adults too.  Sure, there are more advanced concepts for the big boys and girls to think about, but again, outside of our scope: we’re here to take a tour through history.

Ah, but Jim is up to something else, and it’s quite the icing on the cake.  Matthew’s intention for taking the tour is to ask a T-Rex a question; T is at the end of the tour, so might as well take the whole thing.  As they progress, John reviews the history of evolution, but interestingly, he continually underlines a few key concepts: that these changes are not overnight, that the adaptations necessary to get from the first spark of life to dinosaur was insane, that death is an inevitable part of life, and that while the strongest survive, ‘strongest’ can mean various things – including being the ‘strongest’ at staying out of the way.  This is all presented rather of matter-of-factly, without dressing it up Lion King style or dragging it down into some “appreciate life while you can!” warning.  Which is refreshing.  And when Matt finally gets to ask his question, though we’re ready for it to break off into some eye-rolling drama, Matt’s own interpretation of the “answer” he receives is, again, incredibly honest and refreshing.

I believe this was self-published, and it’s pretty quality.  Thick pages, bright whites, big gutters so you don’t have to crack the spine.  Jim included two endings, which is an amusing lark; both end somewhat suddenly, but having the balance of the two makes up for that.

The only time I ever wish I had kids is when I read something like this, and wish I could force them to be super cool like their dad by reading it and GODDAMN LOVING IT, LITTLE DAVID JR., YOU OTHERWISE WORTHLESS BASTARD.