The Bloodhound Boys Book 1: The Great Blood Bank Robbery

The Bloodhound Boys Book 1: The Great Blood Bank Robbery by Andrew Cranna (Walker Books)
PB RRP $19.95
ISBN 9781922179302
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Deep beneath the earth’s crust, the Skull River Blood Banks have been robbed. The vampire monsters lives depend on their daily supply of blood, particularly Gretel who suffers from plasmic anaemia and needs frequent supplies throughout the day.

The Blood Detectives have been unable to find any trace of evidence so mates Vince and Rocky decide to investigate. Facing a most dangerous security system and the unknown, the two heroes set out to find who, how, and why the blood was stolen and get it back.

The skills learnt in the monster transformation class turn out to be their saving grace when they discover the Frankenstein army that is being prepared to rule the world.

This is terrific comic strip fiction for readers who love graphic style novels and have a preference for ghouls, ghoulish happenings, the undead and other underworld characters.

The novel has other little stories running through it that adds to the tension and suspense. This is the first book in a series therefore we’ll be interested to learn what other adventures the boys and the other ghoulish characters get up to.

Thunderbirds —The Comic Collection

Thunderbirds —The Comic Collection by Gerry Anderson (Egmont)

ISBN 978 1 4052 6836 3

HB $39.95 RRP

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

This collection of classic comics is presented in a beautiful hardback edition, containing 288 pages of quality original artworks. A brief introduction explains the history of this popular futuristic British series from the 60s and 70s. The TV Century 21 (TV21) series cartoons are in chronological order, beginning with The Earthquake Maker and finishing with the Lady Penelope comics. All are set in the 2060s, one hundred years in the future from when they were written.

Thunderbirds were created in Britain by Gerry Anderson in 1964. They were a popular TV series with spin-off toys from the show. The first edition of Thunderbirds comics came out in January 1965 and quickly became quite influential and a best seller for boys. The final issue of TV21 came out in 1969, but in the 1990s more Thunderbird comics were published when there was renewed interest in the TV series.

This book provides hours of entertainment for comic lovers. The detail in the pictures is faithfully reproduced in imaginative colours, tones and textures. Several comic strip artists' work is reproduced, most notably Frank Bellamy in the earlier comics. Other artists include Graham Bleathman and in the later editions, John Cooper, Eric Eden and Frank Hampson. Also included in this edition are labeled cross-sections of the Thunderbird rocket ships 1,2,3 and 4 and 5, Tracy Island and Lady Penelope's Car — Fab 1.

 

It will be interesting to see how these comics appeal to the kids of 2013. In the 1960s there was great excitement about space travel and the future. Do we feel the same way forty years later? Or can this book help re-create inspiration for reaching out to the stars? Maybe this would be a good thing.

This is a book that many parents will enjoy looking back on. It also provides an opportunity for older children and teenagers (particularly boys) who are into comics, to discover something a bit different. There is so much to see in this collection, and the adventures can be read over and over again. 5,4,3,2,1 ... Thunderbirds are go!