Tagged by Gary Crew and Steven Woolman

Published by Darren on May 22, 2009 | 1 Response

Tagged by Gary Crew and Steven Woolman

A licky wet tongue shatterd Jimmy’s dreams of glory.

About the Book

In this graphic novel aimed at kids, Jimmy loves to read war comics. And dreams about being a WW1 era fighter pilot. Early one Sunday morning, as he walks his dog, he discovers a bearded, scruffy man dozing in a derelict factory and wonders why he is there. 

We follow Jimmy as the scruffy man, a veteran of the Vietnam conflict tells his story.

My Thoughts

My library has a paltry selection of graphic novels, which rarely seems to change much. However when I was in there the other week I picked up this one and the first of Joss Whedon’s Buffy ‘Series Eight’ collections.

Why did I pick it, because it was one I hadn’t seen before, mainly, and it was very short. It is one of the shortest graphic novels I’ve come across at only 30 odd pages, so, if I didn’t like it I’d have finished it before I realised Tagged by Gary Crew and Steven Woolman .

Did I enjoy it?

Well yes… and… no… The art work is certainly very good, and the linked elements and motifs work well to pull you through the pages. There’s also, something powerful about the ‘scruffy-man’s’ tale. It’s just that there doesn’t seem to be a point, other that to listen to the man’s tale. And I think it’s the books brevity that is at fault.

So much more could have been made of Jimmy’s dreams and the reality he discovers in talking to the veteran. And if we could have spent a bit more time meeting the veteran and his friends, what happened to them could be so much more…

Then again, because of all that, it would work very well as a discussion piece: “What is this book trying to tell us?”

[rating:2.5/5]

About the Authors

Gary Crew, lives in Maleny Queensland. He has written many books for children, including Strange Obects, which one the Australian Children’s Book of the Year Award in 1991, the Alan Marshal Prize and the NSW Premier’s Award for Children’s Literature.

Steven Woolman,  Australian illustrator Steven Woolman was an author and illustrator of several award-winning children’s picture books. He worked in a wide range of media and was influenced largely by the old movies he watched as a child while growing up. Woolman died on April 30, 2004 at the age of thirty-four.

Article written by Darren

Bart, is a fully signed up member of Book Addicts Anonymous ;) Despite, constantly fighting a losing battle against his T.B.R pile, he is never happier than when he manages to sneak a new book in to the house!

One Response

  1. Josephine
    Josephine August 2, 2010 at 12:23 pm | | Reply

    I have to say I disagree with you. You said: “It’s just that there doesn’t seem to be a point, other that to listen to the man’s tale.” There is a point. My father went to battle and came back with scars like the old man. When you loose a friend over a girl or boy, a test paper or something silly we feel sadness and anger. Sometimes guilt. The “scruffy-man” lost a friend in battle, imagine how hurt you’ll feel if you lost your friend that way. It’s a story about all war veterans and what they’ve been through. The pain that was inflicted upon them. My uncles all went to fight, they came out scared and some had been mentally damaged as well as physically.
    I believe this story tells the tales of many.

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