Angora Napkin by Troy Little

As you all know, we scour the previews pretty hard. We look at just about every book that gets hyped from every publisher. Occasionally, a book looks so good that I have to read it as soon as I see the cover. Angora Napkin, from IDW, was one of those books. I knew it was going to be my kind of book.

So, I contacted Troy Little and he was kind enough to provide a preview of the book…. AND… I was right. It is my kind of book. The hype:
Angora Napkin GN by Troy Little (W & A)
Halloween is upon us. Historically this ancient event has been identified as the day in which the boundary between the living and the dead becomes unstable. It is on this fateful night that we find Beatrice, Molly and Mallory, the pop music group known as Angora Napkin, crossing paths with the wandering dead. That's how they meet Dennis, the zombie boy, who agrees to eradicate all life on Earth. Now, the girls of Angora Napkin must stop the horror they've unwittingly released (and make it to their gig on time)! Visit the official page here and Troy’s hilarious blog here. Pages: 152, 7 x 9.5, HC, FC, $19.99

While the hype was accurate about the story, it doesn't do it justice. Beatrice, Molly, and Mallory may be your typical girl band traveling across the country but they are anything but you’re typical girls. While Beatrice and Molly are your typically bubble headed girls, Mallory is strapped in the back of the van, surrounded by empty alcohol bottles, and hooked up to an IV bag. If this doesn’t set the tone for a book, then not much does. While taking a “shortcut” to their next gig, Beatrice runs something over in the road. As she backs up to see what it is… she runs over it again. It turns out to be a zombie, Randy McCarville, on his way to a big monster party. As luck would have it, the monster party doesn’t have a band, and the girls don’t a paying gig so off they go. According to Troy, things don’t stay pleasant for long and soon the girls are battling a hoard of zombies and other creepy, crawly monsters.


















Even though I only read a small piece of the entire book, I completely enjoyed myself. Little quickly established the characters and their personalities. He also made it very obvious that this wasn't a serious book. The story is a cross between a dumber, slightly twisted, version of Josie and the Pussycats, and Scooby Doo.

In addition, the art complimented the demented nature of the story. Little, an animator in real life, brings an animated feel to the book. But, to be sure, it's more Ren & Stimpy than Bruce Timm's Batman. Honestly, it's all Ren & Stimpy, and that's a good thing. The girls are happy little doodles with big eyes and long limbs that occasionally get exaggerated for emphasis. Randy the zombie, while obviously in an advanced state of decay, is humorous to look at and not gross in the least. Besides fun characters, Little manages to vary each page to keep it interesting. There's splash pages, six panel, nine panel, and all sorts of layouts inbetween.

If you're looking for something new and fun, then I recommend Angora Napkin!