Review Detail

I like funny. Funny is great. Funny, unlike tear-jerking dramas, doesnt leave you feeling wrung out like a washcloth or with a pile of soppy tissues by your feet. Not that theres not a fair share of drama in Drawing a Blank&after all, there are toilet swirlies, cold-freezer storage-prisons, daggers and letter openers&and, of course, Signy the Superbad.

Carlton Dunne IV is a bit of an unusual kid (or misanthrope, as his dad would have it), but nowhere near as cracked as his father, who believes hes caught in the middle of an ancient blood feud with the Clan Forba back in Scotland. Carlton is sure his dad is just completely off his rocker until his father is actually kidnapped by said Clan and it turns out that the feud really wasnt just a figment of his fathers imagination. And the demented Scottish voice on the telephone keeps demanding the proof, whatever that is.

So, whats a budding graphic artist to do (Carlton draws a comic called Signy the Superbad for a paper, even though they think its his dad that does it)? Though he doesnt always (seem to) have a lot of love for his crackpot father, he cant bear the thought of his half-sister Olivia losing a dad. So he packs his drawing pencils and heads off to the bonny land to save his father.

And almost immediately gets run over. But, he meets Aileen, a beautiful blonde Scottish butt-kicking lass, who decides to help him so she can get experience that will help her get a job as a cop one day. Heh. Try saying that twice.

He and Aileen traipse all over the countryside experiencing all manner of dangers and fish-breath until they actually discover the proof. And then all kinds of things happen and I cant tell you any of them, or Ill give too much away. Shoot, Ive already left off all kinds of interesting bits (like Carltons fan mail from NightMare, his trip to a not-quite-Comic-Con-Con, and forays into dank Scottish castles), but youll just have to read the book for yourself.

This is another fantastically funny novel from Dan Ehrenhaft. I recommend it for readers aged 12 and up, anyone with a passing interest in strange old family feuds, and graphic novel readers (Signy the Superbad comics are illustrated throughout) and dont ye dare cull tha a comic book!