Max & Charlie is a children's graphic novel by Zack Lieberman & Louis Neubert. It is currently scheduled for release on May 5 2016. In this romp through New York City readers follow our reluctant but imaginative young hero (Charlie!) as he chases his silly beagle pup (Max!) through a beautiful dreamed day in the city. But there's something a little strange about this place.
Max & Charlie is quite the adventure. It begins with Charlie deep in his imagination and only reluctantly taking Max out o play in the park. When Charlie's imagination takes over again max takes off and the chase begins. What really makes the book so unusual is that readers never really know how real what they are seeing on the page is. Is Charlie's original play sequence the truth, or is the 'normal' boy and dog that we expect the reality. As the pair race through the city readers see hints of both worlds, via Charlie's eyes. Characters often seem odd or alien, but readers are left to wonder if that is because of Charlie's view of the world or something else entirely. In any case the artwork is consistently stunning, and tells most of the story. Even if you do not care for the open ended or creative type of story contained on the pages, it is worth flipping through the book for the artwork alone.
Max & Charlie is a unique graphic novel that will greatly appeal to some, and the artwork will appeal to most. I do think that some readers might find themselves lost or confused, particularly if they do not like stories that are more existential or open to a variety of interpretations.
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