Tommysaurus Rex

    (Image, 2004)
™ and © 2004 Doug TenNapel

A boy and his dinosaur: sounds too high-concept to be interesting. Except that this story is told by someone smart enough and skilled enough to make his young protagonist a fully rounded character who faces great sorrows and, in accepting them, grows into a capable, compassionate man.

Lonely Ely, grief-stricken by the death of his beloved dog Tommy, goes to his grandfather’s farm for the summer. His first encounter with the local bully leads to Ely’s discovery of a tyrannosaurus Rex that, inexplicably, is alive and trapped in a cave. Now all the lad has to do is tame the creature, convince the townspeople it’s not a menace, and deal with said bully short of having Tommysaurus eat the little brute. Even there, Doug TenNapel doesn’t allow the bully to remain a convenient cardboard antagonist for Ely.

Readers will connect with Tommy, cheering his joys and sharing his pain. The vivid panels and crisp dialogue suspend our disbelief in this fantastic tale. It feels real—as all good and true stories surely must.

— Tony Isabella
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  • 1
    #1
    Aug 2004
    Cover: $11.95
    W: Doug TenNapel  ·  A: Doug TenNapel
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    #1 - 2nd printing
    Aug 2004
    Cover: $11.95
    W: Doug TenNapel  ·  A: Doug TenNapel
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  • 1/HC
    #1 Hardcover
    Hardcover Edition with cover by Doug TenNapel
    Aug 2004
    Cover: $19.99
    W: Doug TenNapel  ·  A: Doug TenNapel
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