FIRST IMPRESSION: This is a mind-bending book visually and story-wise. I must admit, I did not know this was a TV show when I first read this book. After reading this book and watching a few episodes, I feel a certain way, but I am not quite sure what that feeling is. Whether it’s my lack of depth and understanding of the emotional spectrum or if it’s just that I am still processing this, only time will tell.
First, I will explain this to those who have never watched the cartoon Uncle Grandpa. The main cast is a wild and zany Uncle Grandpa with his talking fanny pack, his body-guard a Godzilla-dinosaur type named Mr. Gus, the insanely cool Pizza Steve (who is in fact a slice of pizza), and Giant Realistic Flying Tiger (guess what, he’s a giant, realistic flying tiger who seems to propel his flight by farting rainbows). This book is a compilation of shorter stories, as short as a few panels to as long as few pages, where Uncle G and his motley crew do crazy stuff, from traveling to other dimensions to having their own wrestling matches because their wrestling program wasn’t aired. Also spread throughout the book are simple games, like mazes and crosswords.
Uncle Grandpa falls somewhere between Adult Swim, the Adventures of Captain Underpants, and the likes of Adventure Time and the Regular Show in how it plays out and feels. I have not yet figured out if this story is for kids or for adults who partake in certain herbal enhancements, such as mushrooms or a distinct funky bud. As an example, there is a scene where Teddy Roosevelt is in a fighter jet, Abraham Lincoln is in a tank, and George Washington is riding a magical unicorn. To note, I was sober as could be when reading this book and watching the cartoons. However, I must admit, there is some witty humor throughout.
Now for those of you familiar with the show, after watching a few episodes to compare, I must say, it does resonate well with the source material. Reading the comic and watching the show were similar experiences. The comic just had much shorter stories than the already brief cartoon episodes.
FINAL THOUGHT: I recommend this book to fans of the eponymous Cartoon Network tv show, kids, or those of you who partake in extracurricular enhancers… If you don’t fall into those categories, I suggest finding something more your genre.
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
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