Quick All-Ages GN Reviews

GoGirl! vol. 1: The Time Team
by Trina Robbins & Anne Timmons
Science geek girl Doc, cheerleader Heather, and teenage super-heroine Lindsay (aka GoGirl!) are accidentally transported back in time to the Cretaceous Era, where they have to overcome their differences and work together to stay safe from the rampaging dinosaurs and out of the clutches of alien zoo keepers. While lessons are learned and it threatens more than once to go off into sugary afterschool special territory, Robbins keeps the story under control and doesn't let it get too serious or self-important. It's hard to go wrong with aliens and dinosaurs! Timmons' art is breezy and moves the story and action forward; with no more than three panels per page it doesn't seem cramped in the small format. It makes for lighthearted, all-ages fun.
Rating: 3 (of 5)


Emily & the Intergalactic Lemonade Stand
by Ian Smith & Tyson Smith
Emily is a ten-year-old girl with a lemonade stand. And a powerful robot who can juice lemons and instantly transport across interstellar distances. Life would be hunky-dory, except for rich neighbor girl Daisy who wants to put Emily out of business, and the approaching alien invasion force. It's a fun little book, highly reminiscent in story and art of what you might find on an original show on the Cartoon Network. The best part of the story is Pheef, the ultimate warrior of his people, who just happens to resemble a cute tiny pink Japanese toy, and his internal monologues. Pheef livens up the story and gives it an edge.
Rating: 3 (of 5)