4 out of 5

Well, the volume did much to dispel my “this is all about jesus” fears: Nnewts Book Two starts to really work its own mythology, and it’s just wonderfully random TenNapel.  This doesn’t mean there won’t eventually be a Biblical connection revealed, or that holy cross morals won’t get dropped on the final page, but at least I now feel like I’m actually reading a Doug T. Scholastic book and not Young Moses Adventures told with talking animals.

And even better, the volume starts to get legitimately funny and inventive.  Volume One felt a tad childish; here, with Nnewt messengers and talking radishes and some of the left-field plot revelations, the humor stretches way back to Earthworm Jim times, when Doug just seemed to sort of let loose with whatever was working in his head (which was a plus), and the sprawlingly crazy concepts remind me of the scope of Cardboard, which was a personal favorite for exactly that sprawlingly crazy reason.

And even better better: the plot itself begins to draw us in, yuks and wackiness aside as Herk discovers more about his lineage while  the Lizzarks approach the city for an attack.  The developments feel a bit more appropriately paced here than in Book One, although Herk’s fairly sudden connection with his new family still feels rather forced and some later moments in the main battle sequences are very choppy.  Thankfully, all the praise about the artwork and coloring (Katherine Garner) still remain, so when the story hits a bump, you can just soak up the glories on the page.

Living in a world with an ongoing TenNapel comic is an exciting time.  I feel like we’ll be in for some hills and valleys, however long this series goes, but I’m confident the ride will be worth it.