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*Zed: Rave Reviews* by Duane M. Abel
 
Also by Duane M. Abel:

Zed: Setting the Scene

Zed: Backstage Pass

Zed: Loads of Love





 

Zed: Rave Reviews
by Duane M. Abel
All ages 24 pages Corkey Comics March 2006 Paperback    

Zed: Rave Reviews is a wonderful way for children to be introduced to comic strips. Adults who enjoy Calvin and Hobbes might want to give Zed comics a try, too.

Normally, “laundry dwellers” keep out of sight, but Zed, a laundry dweller, is visible to one lucky family. Now part of their world, Zed lives in the family’s mailbox, he’s great company for young Brian, he brings back memories for the neighbors, Floyd and Earl (who have retired from Vaudeville), and he keeps Brian’s mom and dad on their toes. Zed manages to get cookie crumbs in Dad’s hair, lose cards in the bubble bath, and monopolize the mailbox for performances.

Zed comics brings out a child’s imagination in everyone in the book. Mom has tea with the towels, Floyd and Earl see the old leftovers in the fridge using walkers, and Brian and Zed think of a question to ask the man who lives in the fridge. Some of these comics will feed the imagination of whomever reads this book.

Some of the strips are clever, and you don’t see the end coming. In one strip, Zed and Brian are feeding birds, talking about how the birds really appreciate the bread crumbs. In the last panel, there is a bird with a toaster under his wing. In another comic, Brian tells Zed how a warm potato kept his grandma’s hands warm in the winter. They learn potato chips don’t have the same ability, and Zed wonders if maybe grandma had barbeque-flavored.

Zed comics will not offend anyone, and artist Duane M. Abel is talented. He can make you smile or laugh in three to four panels. The Zed strips are drawn simply with black lines, and the characters are good-natured and easy to like. There is a lot to be found in these twenty-one pages of comic strips. The author has also penned Zed: Backstage Pass and Zed: Setting the Scene.
   


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  Tanya Boudreau/2006 for curled up with a good kid's book  






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