We all adore penguins, right? From the charming best friend for Oliver Jeffer’s lost boy to Polly Dunbar’s Penguin, via the brilliant little Tango, they’re all cute, friendly and oh so lovable.
But what if there were an EVIL penguin? Wicked to the very core and set on world domination?
Let me introduce you to [cue evil laughter and claps of thunder]…
Evil Emperor Penguin (the brain child of Laura Ellen Anderson, @Lillustrator), wants to rule the world. Whether plotting to conquer world leaders at their annual picnic get-together, designing machines to release powerful ‘fear foam’ that will cause havoc among the entire human race, or breaking into the Houses of Parliament, Evil Emperor Penguin (EEP) is determined to make the world bow down before him.
Loyally assisted by an abominably cute abominable snowman clone called Eugene and a super brainy Jeeves-esque octopus called Number 8, Evil Emperor Penguin releases wave after wave of dastardly wickedness from his massive underground Antarctic bunker. His plots, however, never quite manage to work they way they’re meant to. Whether it’s the malfunctioning Big Red Evil Button which accidentally releases pink unicorns and rainbows, or a blocked tube in the Ferocious And Really Terrible machine that causes a nuclear stench cloud (the clue’s in the name…) to be released at the wrong time, Evil Emperor Penguin keeps having to return to the drawing board. If that weren’t bad enough, EEP’s arch enemy, Evil Cat, is also on the loose, and when that craven kitty manages to kidnap Eugene things get even more complicated…
With not just one sinister superhero but two, a hugely diverse and entertaining cast of sidekicks, these high octane, preposterous storylines packed with outrageous humour will surprise and delight in equal measure. Who knew just how brilliant fiendish villainy could be?
Now what I haven’t mentioned so far is that the stories in Evil Emperor Penguin are told in a series of comic strips, each 4 pages long (though some stretch over multiple parts). If you’ve never tried a comic strip with your kids, this is a great volume to introduce them to the format. Not only does it opens with a directory of characters and settings so that new readers can instantly feel at home, Laura Ellen Anderson’s drawing style is clean, bright and inviting.
So inviting indeed, that we wanted our own megalomaniac penguin to play with…
Yes that’s right. We started with an empty deodorant container and tooth floss roll. Bet you didn’t know such terrors lurked beneath the polished exteriors of those who want to take over the world!
A bit of acrylic paint, felt, a balloon, some pipe cleaners and a my-little-pony later, we had our cast of comic characters ready to release on the world.
Life has changed irrevocably now. Whilst Evil Plans lurk round every corner on our home, I can nearly always manage to avoid disaster because the volume of giggles coming from my girls alerts me to the mischief and mayhem which is being plotted…
Whilst making our characters we listened to:
Other activities which might work well alongside reading Evil Emperor Penguin in this handy book format include:
If you liked this post you might like these other comic book /graphic novel posts by me:
Disclosure: I was sent a free review copy of this book by the publisher.
Simone Fraser
Zoe, I seriously think you should publish a book about all the creative projects you do with your daughters. I would buy more than one copy, I assure you. = D
Zoe
Thanks Simone 🙂 I’ve always held off going down the book route for a variety of reasons – but one of them is about making people pay for ideas I’m happy to give away for free. So my question to you is what difference would a book make? Why a book (that costs you money) rather than a blog (which doesn’t cost you money)?
Zoe recently posted..Evil Emperor Penguin
Chantal Bourgonje
What a fun book and LOVE the craft project!
Zoe
Thanks Chantal. We had a fun time hunting around the house of reusable objects that were “penguin” or “yeti” shaped – amazing what you can “see” with a bit of imagination!