Creepy Crawly Crime

In this first installment of the Joey Fly, Private Eye series, Reynolds ("Buffalo Wings") and Numberman, who makes a wowser of a debut, marry the film noir spoof to the graphic novel, and the result has the sweet smell of success written all over it. The mystery takes readers to the big insect city, where most of the inhabitants are normal everyday bugs just trying to put three feet in front of the others. But there are always a few rotten arthropods in the barrel, and keeping them in line is Joey Fly, a detective with a fedora, a sense of justice masquerading as cynicism, a flair for similes and really, really big eyes. Joey, clearly an adult, is given a sidekick, an impetuous but eager scorpion named Sammy Stingtail. The crime does get solvedit involves a stolen diamond pencil boxbut like the best noirs, the particulars take a backseat to the irresistible interplay of moody visuals (Numberman wryly replicates the chiaroscuro mis-en-scène of Depression-era cinema) and hard-boiled patois (The facts were starting to line up like centipedes at a shoe sale). Ages 8up. "(Apr.)" Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

Gr 4-6Hardboiled insect detective Joey Fly and his assistant, a young scorpion named Sammy Stingtail, search for a missing diamond pencil box belonging to Delilah, a femme fatale swallowtail butterfly. Simple, whimsical drawings and humorous dialogue give the book child appeal. The illustrations gray and sepia tones reference film noir, but this may be lost on younger readers, many of whom probably prefer more color in their comics. The clever writing doesnt keep the story from lagging at times: the case of a missing pencil box, in the end, cant sustain the most gripping narrative. Unique and witty, but not essential."Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY" Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.