Creature Tech

    (Top Shelf, 2002, 2003)
™ and © Top Shelf

As the creator of Earthworm Jim and The Neverhood, Doug TenNapel has produced his fair share of success. Now heading in the opposite direction of most would-be cartoonists, from videogames to comic books, he goes back to the drawing board to create a new and fantastic fable.

In the hick town of Turlock, Dr. Ong is on a top-secret mission to catalog the supernatural possessions of the U.S. government. But work gets weirder, when the Shroud of Turin is stolen from under his nose by the specter of a mad scientist bent on resurrecting himself and his giant space eel. Will evil Dr. Jameson and his gang of Hell Cats destroy the Earth or can the motley crew of “Creature Tech” foil his dastardly plans?

Blending science-fiction action and comedy, TenNapel conjures a winning and wacky tale. Drawing in a style reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes on an extended sugar high, he deftly keeps the reader visually engaged and the jokes free-flowing. Comparable to the X-Files meeting Men in Black, this is more satisfying than both, because it is simply more fun and high-spirited. Hopefully, readers can expect more adventures of Dr. Ong to come.

— Oliver Chin
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