The Hoodoodad [Paperback]

Lewis Trondheim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 1998

Lewis Trondheim McConey's excitable pal Richie suffers a string of bad luck and believes he's been cursed by an ancient artifact — but is it all in his head? Or is the lack of concrete evidence all part of the curse?

"Better to have doggy-doo on the sole of my foot than pigeon poop on the top of my head." Not the most high-flying philosophy ever minted, but it's the best McConey's pal Richie can come up with after a string of bad luck that the excitable cat insists on attributing to the malefic power of a skull-festooned rock — allegedly the final legacy of the long-forgotten "Mi'shgo'sh" dynasty. But is he really cursed? Richie's attempts to prove to his disbelieving friends — including the perennially skeptical McConey — that fate has it out for him are all thwarted, leading him to the inevitable conclusion that the lack of any concrete evidence is simply the most insidious part of the curse. The Hoodoodad is a story about misfortune, dirty-words Scrabble, too-secret art, too-public photography, miniature car racing, exorcism, answering machines, nauseating desserts, pinball, parents and godparents, yappy little dogs, and the intricacies of fate and destiny. Full-color comics throughout

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA--McConey, who looks like a well-dressed pink rabbit, is the voice of reason and sagacity among his friends, the closest of whom is a superstitious and puerile alley cat garbed like a retro hood. Their adventures in the series opener, Harum Scarum, revolve around magic powders that can turn the city's population (all of whom are animals) into self-destructing monsters. In The Hoodoodad, a cursed stone is at the crux of the action. The beautifully colored drawings, which show a terrific range of facial expressions and architectural details, along with the anthropomorphic characters, belie the fact that McConey's adventures really are best suited to mature readers. High school-aged boys, especially, will enjoy the frank machismo informing many of the exploits and the realistically foul language of Richie, the alley cat. The depictions are never truly gruesome or carnal; even the shootouts in Harum Scarum are no more graphic than Saturday-morning cartoons. Both books will be popular additions to collections serving teens.

Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Supremely entertaining.” (Chris Mautner - Robot 6 )

“McConey is really funny. We need more smart adventure comics like this!” (Jeff Smith, creator of Bone )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (January 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560973382
• ISBN-13: 978-1560973386
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,430,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of European comix, December 13, 1999

By 

MR GILBERT AXEL (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hoodoodad (Paperback)

Lewis Trondheim renews European comic book tradition, mixing animal-like characters such as Walt Disney's, English humor and French-Belgian style. In this album, the famous rabbit McConey faces a strange spelled rock. He and his friends run from one problem to another, but never lose their sense of humor. They'll meet amazing people such as Wilfried, the painter who don't want his pictures to be seen (he wouldn't be reincarnated as long as someone remembers him), the crazy director of the Museum and an all-around magician (voodoo, African wizard, Shaman, astrologist - you name it !) Most funny and witty indeed ! - No sex, no violence, no explicit text, but I wouldn't call it a book for children anyway : their parents may like it more than they would. And what's exciting is that Lewis Trondheim has got many other comic books waiting for a translation !

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a find, December 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hoodoodad (Paperback)

Although I didn't like this one as much as Harum Scarum, it was still pretty fabulous. I found these books in a comic store and bought them on a whim (I go into comic stores about once every five years, and usually don't buy anything). They were every bit as satisfying as Tintin or Asterix were when I was twelve! Only better. These books are silly, funny, raunchy, and impossible to describe. The characters are wonderfully fallible, and the plots are totally off-the-wall, without being impossibly surreal.

In the Hoodoodad, you're never sure if there really IS a curse on the cool rock that they find. The guy who finds it is convinced, but it's not until the story takes a few twists that you really believe him. And of course his friends are no help; they're too busy being rude to each other in that laddish, fin de siecle slacker sort of way. It's hilarious.

5.0 out of 5 stars worth reading too, April 17, 2008

By 

HS - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Hoodoodad (Paperback)

I read this one after I had a great time reading Harum Scarum from the same author. I didn't love it as much but still I'm not disappointed and I really enjoyed it. It's just too easy to read and still so much a great time that this is a 5 stars again