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Comic Squad
When twelve-year-old Alice Thorton moves to strange and unusual Stone Gully, she finds herself more alone than she's ever been - a tomboy outcast whose only tie to her recently deceased dad is his prized Joe Dakota comic book collection.
The only other person in town who seems to show any interest in this treasure trove is Dwight, a forty-year-old kid and sniveling comic book store owner, who has his own purposes for some of her more rare memorabilia.
He snatches Alice's prized pair of tattered 3-D glasses to go with his own copy of the matching comic book. In a cyclone of color and light that changes him from a flesh and blood man into a two dimensional drawing in the book, he realizes too late that this extremely rare combination actually opens a portal between the comic book world and his own.
With a little help from Alice he finds his way back home, but with unwelcome company. When dastardly Dr. Horror escapes into their sleepy little town, he and his henchman Twitch turn the entire burg on its ear by switching the personality of each adult thanks to a strange blue potion. This chaos buys him some time until he can perfect his ultimate weapon - his mind control potion - uninterrupted. It is a dangerous concoction that the new world and its fascinating elements can finally help him complete, and he has already singled out a target - the man in charge of the town's nuclear power plant.
The new world also makes Dr. Horror stronger and younger by the day. Not so coincidentally it simultaneously steals the strength of his nemesis, the superhero Joe Dakota, the minute he tries to join the kids and subdue the villain. That means it is up to the geeks and the outcasts - a band of misfits, thrown together by their common knowledge of all things comic book - to defeat the bad guy and save their families, their town... and possibly the world.
You used to call them geeks. Prepare to call them heroes.
"Comic Squad" is the fun adventure for kids of all ages that challenges each individual to be their own hero, and to appreciate the unsung heroes we have right in our own family. It's a story about friendship, about family and the inner courage within.
Join Alice and the gang for the first adventure of The Comic Squad, and enjoy the first chapter of the new adventures of the Squad, COMIC WEB OF DESTRUCTION!
The only other person in town who seems to show any interest in this treasure trove is Dwight, a forty-year-old kid and sniveling comic book store owner, who has his own purposes for some of her more rare memorabilia.
He snatches Alice's prized pair of tattered 3-D glasses to go with his own copy of the matching comic book. In a cyclone of color and light that changes him from a flesh and blood man into a two dimensional drawing in the book, he realizes too late that this extremely rare combination actually opens a portal between the comic book world and his own.
With a little help from Alice he finds his way back home, but with unwelcome company. When dastardly Dr. Horror escapes into their sleepy little town, he and his henchman Twitch turn the entire burg on its ear by switching the personality of each adult thanks to a strange blue potion. This chaos buys him some time until he can perfect his ultimate weapon - his mind control potion - uninterrupted. It is a dangerous concoction that the new world and its fascinating elements can finally help him complete, and he has already singled out a target - the man in charge of the town's nuclear power plant.
The new world also makes Dr. Horror stronger and younger by the day. Not so coincidentally it simultaneously steals the strength of his nemesis, the superhero Joe Dakota, the minute he tries to join the kids and subdue the villain. That means it is up to the geeks and the outcasts - a band of misfits, thrown together by their common knowledge of all things comic book - to defeat the bad guy and save their families, their town... and possibly the world.
You used to call them geeks. Prepare to call them heroes.
"Comic Squad" is the fun adventure for kids of all ages that challenges each individual to be their own hero, and to appreciate the unsung heroes we have right in our own family. It's a story about friendship, about family and the inner courage within.
Join Alice and the gang for the first adventure of The Comic Squad, and enjoy the first chapter of the new adventures of the Squad, COMIC WEB OF DESTRUCTION!
254 pages, Paperback
First published February 16, 2011
5 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Ginger Voight
60 books710 followersGinger Voight is a screenwriter and bestselling author with over twenty published titles in fiction and nonfiction. She covers everything from travel to politics in nonfiction, as well as romance, paranormal, and dark, “ripped from the headlines” topics like Dirty Little Secrets.
Ginger discovered her love for writing in sixth grade, courtesy of a Halloween assignment. From then on, writing became a place of solace, reflection, and security. This was never more true than when she found herself homeless in L.A. at the age of nineteen. There, she wrote her first novel, longhand on notebook paper, while living out of her car.
In 1995, after she lost her nine-day-old son, she worked through her grief by writing the story that would eventually become The Fullerton Family Saga.
In 2011, she embarked on a new journey—to publish romance novels starring heroines who look more like the average American woman. These "Rubenesque" romances have developed a following thanks to her bestselling Groupie series. Other titles, such as the highly-rated New Adult series, Fierce, tap into the "reality-TV" preoccupation in American entertainment, which gives her contemporary stories a current, pop culture edge.
Known for writing gut-twisting angst, Ginger isn’t afraid to push the envelope with characters who are perfectly imperfect. Whether rich, poor, sweet, selfish, gay, straight, plus-size or svelte, her characters are beautifully flawed and three-dimensional. They populate her lavish fictional landscapes and teach us more about the real world in which we live simply through their interactions with each other. Ginger’s goal with every book is to give the reader a little bit more than they were expecting, told through stories they'll never forget.
Ginger discovered her love for writing in sixth grade, courtesy of a Halloween assignment. From then on, writing became a place of solace, reflection, and security. This was never more true than when she found herself homeless in L.A. at the age of nineteen. There, she wrote her first novel, longhand on notebook paper, while living out of her car.
In 1995, after she lost her nine-day-old son, she worked through her grief by writing the story that would eventually become The Fullerton Family Saga.
In 2011, she embarked on a new journey—to publish romance novels starring heroines who look more like the average American woman. These "Rubenesque" romances have developed a following thanks to her bestselling Groupie series. Other titles, such as the highly-rated New Adult series, Fierce, tap into the "reality-TV" preoccupation in American entertainment, which gives her contemporary stories a current, pop culture edge.
Known for writing gut-twisting angst, Ginger isn’t afraid to push the envelope with characters who are perfectly imperfect. Whether rich, poor, sweet, selfish, gay, straight, plus-size or svelte, her characters are beautifully flawed and three-dimensional. They populate her lavish fictional landscapes and teach us more about the real world in which we live simply through their interactions with each other. Ginger’s goal with every book is to give the reader a little bit more than they were expecting, told through stories they'll never forget.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 16, 2023
So Ginger and I share a mutual friend, a Stand-Up Comic and Political Commentator by the name of Hal Sparks. So when I found out that she has been writing some novels, I decided to support her and buy some of her books. Problem with me taking as long as I did to read them, was that my reading preferences were limited to audiobooks and she didn't have audiobooks. But with the help of my Microsoft Surface tablet and Calibre, I was able to read through it long-hand, thanks to Calibre's Read Aloud feature helping me follow along with its highlighter.
But to comment on the story itself, the atmosphere felt more along the lines of what Stranger Things possibly did years later (and I never watched a single episode of it). Or if I want to make a more accurate comparison, this story could've easily fit with the 80's-90's family films, particularly with The Neverending Story and how the protagonist got transported to the world of that book.
Other than that, I think this deserves a look at for a dramatized audiobook adaptation, and I know of one group who can knock this story out of the park.
But to comment on the story itself, the atmosphere felt more along the lines of what Stranger Things possibly did years later (and I never watched a single episode of it). Or if I want to make a more accurate comparison, this story could've easily fit with the 80's-90's family films, particularly with The Neverending Story and how the protagonist got transported to the world of that book.
Other than that, I think this deserves a look at for a dramatized audiobook adaptation, and I know of one group who can knock this story out of the park.
May 26, 2011
Alice Thorton is the new girl in Stone Gully, an outcast in the world of junior high students who have grown up together. She turns to her beloved collection of Joe Dakota comic books for solace, and as a way to remain connected with her deceased father. When Dwight, the local comic book store owner, inadvertently opens a portal between the real world and the animated world of Joe Dakota, it allows the superhero’s arch nemesis to escape and begin wreaking havoc on the little community. Can Alice and her band of comic book geeks stop the evil Dr. Horror before he takes control of Stone Gully?
Comic Squad is an enjoyable young adult book, full of adventure, humor, and just enough gross-out moments to entertain kids while still endearing their parents. Young and old alike will appreciate the message: being a hero isn’t about who you are, it’s about what you do.
Comic Squad is an enjoyable young adult book, full of adventure, humor, and just enough gross-out moments to entertain kids while still endearing their parents. Young and old alike will appreciate the message: being a hero isn’t about who you are, it’s about what you do.
August 29, 2011
In a world full of Britney Spears and others of her ilk, girls need more feminist role models, and Comic Squad definitely provides this in the form of a 12-year-old girl named Alice.
Alice is everything you'd want and more in a protagonist. She is smart, well-rounded, and three-dimensional. As the central character, she leads a band of her comicbook-loving peers to right what's wrong and become the superheroes they so love and admire themselves.
Characters are well-developed, and when you finish reading the book, you want more. I wish Comic Squad had been written when I was a kid.
Alice is everything you'd want and more in a protagonist. She is smart, well-rounded, and three-dimensional. As the central character, she leads a band of her comicbook-loving peers to right what's wrong and become the superheroes they so love and admire themselves.
Characters are well-developed, and when you finish reading the book, you want more. I wish Comic Squad had been written when I was a kid.
July 24, 2011
Alice and her gang of comic book geeks make for great heroes, even if they are only 12. This book stirs up nostalgia for that age-makes me wish I had a magical adventure like this back then! My favorite character in the book is one of the bad guys-Twitch. He adds such a layer of comedy and makes the ultimate bad guy Dr. Horror's shenanigans a chore.
The themes of be your own hero, friendship, family-all with a good dose of magic make this book an enjoyable read for kids and adults alike.
The themes of be your own hero, friendship, family-all with a good dose of magic make this book an enjoyable read for kids and adults alike.
September 19, 2011
I really liked the book. It was a fast read, I finished it in an hour and half. The characters were likeable. I enjoyed the dual world storyline. I look forward to reading the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews