Hilarious, disgusting, mysterious, and cuter than a puppy playing with a
kitten, Chocolate Cheeks is the next great "Yikes" book from Steven
Weissman. The Pullapart Boy (a 21st Century Frankenstein's monster for kids),
his social circle having dwindled down to his stupid brother (Dead Boy), their
dead dog (Elzie Crisler), and a fat kid that nobody likes ("Chubby" Cheeks),
attempts to make some new friends.
Meanwhile, across town, the Little Tin-Stars (Cow-Boy and Cow-Girl) are in
a desperate fight against the forces of nature, hostile natives, a river
monster, their own horse and a man called Chocolate Cheeks.
Juxtaposing gag-driven, newspaper-fashioned strips (employed to great
effect in 2006's Chewing Gum In Church) with the sprawling, Western comic
approach of his legendary "Look Out For Big Della" (from 2002's White Flower
Day), Chocolate Cheeks is Weissman at his best: stunning, memorable,
poignant, hilarious, and just gross enough to delight the children.
Hilarious, frightening, mysterious, adorable and utterly bleak, Chocolate Cheeks has arrived to disgust and delight comic-book readers of all ages. Sweet Chubby Cheeks and the Pullapart Boy (a twenty-first century Frankenstein s monster for kids) are driving each other crazy. Forced together by their dating parents, these two bitter enemies have alienated or otherwise disposed of most of their social circle, leaving them with plenty of quality-time for each other. They go camping, start a business, form a band, join a team, try to make some new friends and engage in a "holy war." Things go from worse to worst, though, when the two boys find a cat or is it a bird? one hot, summer day.Steven Weissman, modern master of light tragedy, is at his most horrible with Chocolate Cheeks, the next great Yikes book from Fantagraphics. Juxtaposing gag-driven, newspaper-fashioned strips with a sprawling, Western comic aesthetic, the book is just gross enough to delight the children.
