Pinky & Stinky

    (Top Shelf, 2003)
™ and © Top Shelf

This sweet, quirky little odd-sized graphic novel will catch readers by surprise. Pinky and Stinky are plucky porcines sent spaceward to investigate Pluto. But a slight mishap (they were arguing about snack-time and didn’t see the asteroid until it was too late) causes the space swine to divert to the moon. There, they meet mean astronauts and a nice alien princess who looks like a cross between a disembodied hand and a sentient group of French fries.

The story, laid out in simple blocks of three- and four-panel squares, does go on for a bit but it never approaches the point of boredom. Something about the simplicity and style of Kochalka’s art is reminiscent of both early comics creators like George Herriman and modern masters like Art Spiegelman. This is no Maus, to be sure, but it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon.

— Stephen C. George
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