Wallace the Brave

A fun graphic novel with a lot of lovable characters.

This is a great book to hand to kids who have made it through all the Calvin and Hobbes books. It's enough like them to please the kids, but different enough that it isn't just more of the same. The fact that it's a comic book really appeals to kids because they don't think they are really reading when it's a comic book.

When I started reading Wallace the Brave, I thought it was going to be a different take on Calvin and Hobbs. I figured there would be a little kid getting into trouble, while everyone around him is more mature and tries to bring him back to the real world. I was wrong. These comics stand on their own, and are enjoyable for readers of any age.

The illustrations bring you back to a simpler time. They are not as clear cut as older comics. Sometimes characters will randomly have a unibrow, which oddly works. I feel that the illustrations show the connection between the author and the book. Having perfectly drawn characters every time is not as important as the story.

Wallace is the main character, but you also have his friends, family, and teacher. All of the characters are lovable in their own way. While there isn't an animal that follows them on their adventures, there are seagulls that show up every now and then to bring in more humor. There are adults in this book, but unlike other comics, the adults sometimes act just as childish as the kids. This seems more true to life than an adult always being serious and trying to bring their children back to the real world.

My favorite character is Sterling, Wallace's little brother. I'm not sure how old he is supposed to be, but he is hilarious when he shows up. He is a character that can sit quietly in the background until he has something to say. Like most little children, the things he has to say tend to be a little off the wall and filled with drama.

I appreciate that Will Henry does not just do the standard story lines. With the number of characters he created, he is able to do more. I found myself wishing there was another Wallace the Brave book so that I could keep reading. I did receive a copy to review, but I will be buying a physical copy when it is published. The simple joys shown in this book make me wish I was still a child.

I really don't know anyone that wouldn't enjoy this book. I guess if someone really does not like the comic format then they wouldn't like it, but that is it. I am highly recommending this book. I hope a second volume is in the works.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley for an honest review.
Author: Will Henry
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
Publication Date: 17 Oct 2017

Appropriate text and graphics for school-aged children. The adventures that Wallace gets into will keep readers engaged and entertained until the last page.

Wallace the Brave is a great fun comic strip that revolves around Wallace, as the title would suggest, and his friends and his school bus. The book is made of lots of short and sweet comic strip stories that mostly humorous and light-hearted. Thanks to the comic strip basis of this book, it'll likely be a good book for slightly less keen readers to get stuck into - pictures are always a help! Additionally, you can read as much or as little as you want before putting the book down as each strip is so short. However, I liked the adventures of Wallace, particularly his conversations with the school bus driver, so I'd read this in one sitting!

I loved meeting Wallace, his family and his friends, Spud and Amelia. If you miss Calvin and Hobbes, you will want to give Wallace a try. Modern (yes, there is technology) and Wallace lives by the seashore, which makes for some good seagull and sea monster strips.

Oh my goodness, I adore this comic!! So much cuteness and hilarity!
Wallace and his best friend, Spud, meet the new girl at school, Amelia, and are very impressed with her courage and baseball-throwing style. Each page has its own funny little punchline as we follow Wallace's strange interactions with friends and family at school, at home, on the ocean, on the field, through the summer and winter and all the in-between times.

Wallace's fisherman father, his creative mother, and weird baby brother make a delightful home setting for the antics and whimsical conversations of a little boy curious about the world and determined to dream big.

One of the best things about this comic is Wallace's close relationship with his parents. When Wallace comes to his dad with a crazy idea, his father doesn't criticize or say how ridiculously impossible it is to trade in their car for an ostrich to ride. His father enters into the fantasy with his son, and they have fun deciding how they will saddle their ostrich and cook the ostrich eggs. I love seeing kids and parents really talking and enjoying one another's company! What a great family!

Best Friend Spud is an anxious neighbor boy who follows in Wallace's bold wake with trepidation, and Amelia is a mischievous tag-a-long who prefers to lead. This mismatched trio burst into new situations with the wild recklessness of youth, throwing their shoes out the door, and skirting around the imaginary monsters lurking in drains and under beds.

I adore everything about this comic! The artwork is playful and cute. The jokes are entertaining and hilarious. The characters are splendid in every particular.
The style reminds me strongly of Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes put together! I wish I could give this 10 stars!!

This was a fun, cute collection of comics as Wallace goes back to school. This is enjoyable for adults and kids who need a little humor and easy reading. Thank you for the advanced copy.

*thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

This was hilarious! I requested this book thinking it looked like a good one based on the cover and the description, but once I started I couldn't stop, it was addictive and so funny! It was better than I thought. Not saying the cover doesnt do it justice at all, I like the cover. The kids are....wellllll, I will use the word 'cheeky' They are excatly like some kids I grew up with (wont mention names *coughstevencough*) I was laughing through most of it. I liked the dad, I thought he would make an awsome father!

This, from start to finish held my attention, and if there were more pages, I would have kept going and going. I do hope there is more to come from this author because this was classic! Just loved it!

Highly recommend this to all, but expecually if you are needing a little pick me up laughter type book.

Wallace the Brave is one fun-filled graphic novel that will undoubtedly make anyone laugh. All the characters are funny and readers can relate to one or two characters; I can see myself on both Wallace and Amelia, and Spud and Sterling are the funniest for me. If you are bored or under the blue, this comics is a great companion to ease your boredom or sadness.

This was a super cute collection of comic strips about a young boy named Wallace, his friends, and family. Definitely for fans of Calvin and Hobbes.

Wallace the Brave
by Will Henry
I found this group of comic stories hilarious. I was reminded of Calvin and Hobbs, although he did not have an imaginary character. The stories are all those stories that a little boy would have happen to him. I loved the truth and character of Wallace.

A collection of comics featuring Wallace, a precocious and imaginative boy somewhere in between 8 and 12. He lives with his parents in a house on stilts in the seaside town of Snug Harbor. He has a slightly disturbing little brother named Sterling with a predilection for eating insects. His best friend is Spud, a much more cautious child who provides Wallace with a much-needed straight man. Spud is head over heels in love with the daring and somewhat intimidating Amelia who is more likely to give someone a rock in the face than a kiss. Together they entertain the masses with their daily escapades.

I think my favorite strip in here was the one where Wallace asks his mom why she’s taking him to the comic book store and she admits that she’s more than slightly addicted to comics after sampling some to make sure they’re kid appropriate. Wallace’s ideas for alternate modes of transportation are always good for laugh out loud moments as well. And you know if Sterling shows up, it’ll be disturbingly hilarious. There are definite moments when this reminded me of the antics found in Calvin & Hobbes comics. If you like those, you might want to give Wallace the Brave a try. It should appeal to a broad range of readers from 8 to 88.

Notes on content: No language issues (the few instances where a character is supposedly swearing are replaced with nonsense symbols). No sexual content, but there is one strip with a bare butt shown and nudist colony is part of the punch line (two others mention but don’t show states of undress). Several incidences of cartoon wounds (i.e., ball or rock to head), but they’re cartoon characters so they’re totally fine.

This is a collection of comic strips. For the most part there is not a real ebb and flow. You can tell the passing of time as it goes from one summer to the next. But within the collection as a whole, one minute the characters are fishing, and the next they are picking out Christmas trees. However, there are some strips that are laugh out loud funny. They will remind you of childhood, or your kids. And it is appropriate for any age. I am officially in love with this comic.

Wallace the Brave is such an adorable little book! I think its target audience is around 8-12 (I am positive my 9- and 11-year old brothers will find it hilarious), but I’m a teenager and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m sure some older teens and adults would find it too juvenile, but I found it very entertaining, so I think it just depends on your reading preferences. It’s definitely a very light, funny read—there isn’t a whole lot of plot, but I’m okay with that, really. It’s the kind of graphic novel you take out when you want to laugh.

Plot:
Like I mentioned above, Wallace the Brave doesn’t really have much plot, but that’s just the type of book it it. It’s really a collection of comic strips that follow the protagonist Wallace’s adventures, rather than a graphic novel with a story arc.

Characters:
Wallace the Brave follows the adventures of (you guessed it!) a kid named Wallace, who gets into loads of mischief with his friends Spud and Amelia. All three of the characters have very distinctive personalities, and they’re all hilarious.

I also appreciated that one of the two friends is a girl—I feel like a lot of these types of comics are directed towards boys and don’t have girl characters who are central to the book (aside from a mom, and maybe a crush.) If we could get a good comic with a funny girl protagonist, that would be even better, but this is a start!

Writing style:
I know I’ve already said this, but I’m gonna say it again: this book is hilarious! Like the laugh-out-loud kind of funny. I’m telling you, I was howling with laughter, and I know my little siblings will be too.

I also liked the little details included at the end of the book: a map of Snug Harbor (the setting of the book,) instructions for organizing a beach cleanup, making a nature crown, and taking care of a pet caterpillar. All seemed fitting for the story, and it was a nice little touch I think kids will enjoy. The only weird thing was that the map looked unfinished, but that’s probably just because I have an advance copy.

To recap: Wallace is delightful little book that’s sure to please kids looking for a fun, character-driven comic. I greatly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Warning: Do not read this book in a quiet place. It is truly laugh out loud funny. I've read Wallace online for quite some time and it's great to see this collection that takes us through a year in Wallace's life. I love the RI setting and the fun parents. And Sterling's eyebrow. Too fun!

This is a whimsical touch from the past. It's a collection of comic strips about Wallace, who is a typical boy. He gets in trouble a lot...

Andrews McMeel Publishing and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It is being published tomorrow.

Wallace has a friend named Spud, a little brother, and he's friends with a tomboy. She's really good at throwing things and is a bit of a smart mouth, too.

My favorite part of the comics was Wallace's interaction with his dad. His father is willing to discuss silly things and imagine things most adults wouldn't. It was sweet to watch them together.

It doesn't take too long to read and made me laugh here and there. I bet middle graders will love it. What would you do with a muffin left in the room since school let out last? Wallace gave it to his tomboy and she nailed a wasps nest. You can guess what happened next...

I found this very adorable. I think kids and adults of all ages can enjoy it.

This book is love. The characters are cute, loveable and believable.

I have always had a fascination for comic strips because you have to be quite ingenious in order to cram intelligent humour into a few panels.

I have not encountered Wallace( the hero of the tale) before but was more than overjoyed to make his acquaintance along with his best friend Spud( neurotic and food loving), his parents( tired but fun people), younger brother Sterling ( with a penchant to shed his clothing) and new girl Amelia. It has the flavour of all the old greats and I liked it better with each page further into the book.If anyone collects comic strips ( as I once did) this is one that makes the cut.

Wallace the Brave by Will Henry, is a book filled with comics about a boy, his friends and his family. They live by the sea, where the father is a fisherman, and their house is built on stilts. Wallace is in his early years of school, and like many his age, he doesn’t necessarily find his school demands endearing.
The artwork and pictorial representations of the characters were excellent. I found the plot and themes of the comics charming and funny. This is the first time I’ve seen this comic and I was hooked at once. I appreciated the setting by the coast, which isn’t one I’ve seen developed before. I also found both the father and mother characters charming, and the father often being pulled into his son’s fantasies was refreshing. This allows the comic to be embraced by a wider audience than only children, for many can relate to the pressures of life drawn up in a humorous way. The book does have one or two characters that don’t seem to measure up to the others, either in terms of looks or in aptitude, and there is an undertone of mockery by the others. Yet I wouldn’t consider it cruel. Kids do tease others for being different and this simply reflects that.
I believe readers of any age would appreciate at least some aspect of this comic. Wallace the Brave is a book that I could easily see made into an animated series that many around the world would enjoy. Highly recommended.

Wallace is an engaging comic with great images and it immediately reminded me of a classic comic like Charlie Brown. Adventurous and keeps you on your toes, kids will be reading without even realizing their reading because they'll have so much fun following Wallace's antics. Lots of fun!

Thank you to Will Henry, the publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fun comic.

Amusing comic strip featuring three friends and their sometimes naïve, sometimes precocious observations.

This was an absolutely hilarious comic collection. If you ever enjoyed reading the funny comics in the paper you'll get a lot of laughs out of this!