By Art Balthazar (Papercutz)
ISBN: 978-1-5458-0144-4 (HB/Digital edition), 978-1-5458-0145-1 (PB)
Art Baltazar has come long way since he self-published The Cray-Baby Adventures. In the interim he has crafted – singly or in conjunction with similarly fun-loving artisans – a veritable maelstrom of books and comics for kids: magical and award-winning, sublimely strange, instantly engaging tomes and series such as Tiny Titans, Itty Bitty Hellboy, The DC Super Pets, Action Cat, Adventure Bug, Encounter and so many more. Throughout all the multicoloured madcappery, he remained a dedicated and passionate advocate of children’s literacy and adhered to a set of unswerving principles: keep it fun, keep it funny and keep it accessible.
That’s certainly the case in this sadly stranded venture with family publisher Papercutz. Gillbert, The Little Merman introduced a charming wide-eyed little prince about to embark on his initial learning experience…
After opening a bottle floating in the ocean, Gill finds a message from the surface world and wants to read it. None of his finny, scaly, gelid, crusty or amphibian friends can help him, so he returns home to Atlanticus to consult his ma and pa, Queen Niadora and King Nauticus. They, however, expect him to wait until later…
Impatient and overexcited, Gill is soon lured away by a mysterious mermaid who says she can help. Before long Anne Phibian is escorting him to so many new and thrilling places such as submerged party house Wewillrocktopolis and the Sub-Atomic Awesomator, but all the while Gill is blithely unaware that his world is increasingly imperilled by a swarm of Fiery Pyrockians: blazing meteor creatures with a grudge against his dad…
Anne and her allies are on the ball though, with unsuspected connections to the Royal Family, and are taking steps to ensure everything will be okay, especially with Gill’s help…
Available in hardback, soft cover and digital formats, Gillbert offers a rapturous escapade of thrills and frolics to delight any imaginative reader of any vintage. My long-cherished review copy even included a tantalising free glimpse at another all-ages star with captivating cartoon pages from the upcoming Gumby: 50 Shades of Clay release. So I’ll bet yours will, too…
As it’s seemingly fallen off the radar (Sonar? Asdic?) since its release, we’re all keenly awaiting another voyage with Gill, and if we all wish hard enough, maybe that will happen soon…
© 2018 Art Baltazar. All Rights Reserved. All other material © 2018 Papercutz.