What do you think?
Rate this book
Liō
Lio: There's a Monster in My Socks
For the first time, the creepy, crawly, awesome world of Lio in a kid-targeted book.
The world of Lio is filled with the extraordinary—monsters under the bed, wild reptile pets, robot inventions, weird science—but it’s all commonplace for this most uncommon young man. Mark Tatulli renders this pantomime strip in pen-and-ink style, giving the artwork a dark, spidery feel to match the strip’s dark humor. Lio explores the twisted realm of a kid’s imagination—at once bizarre, creepy, and fun. Now, in this collection edited specially for kids, Lio is available to his most dedicated fans.
The world of Lio is filled with the extraordinary—monsters under the bed, wild reptile pets, robot inventions, weird science—but it’s all commonplace for this most uncommon young man. Mark Tatulli renders this pantomime strip in pen-and-ink style, giving the artwork a dark, spidery feel to match the strip’s dark humor. Lio explores the twisted realm of a kid’s imagination—at once bizarre, creepy, and fun. Now, in this collection edited specially for kids, Lio is available to his most dedicated fans.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
22 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Mark Tatulli
33 books60 followersMark Tatulli is a comic artist and film maker, mostly known for his dark comedic newspaper strip Liō. He is the recipient of three Emmy Awards. He works for Banyan Productions. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 13, 2016
Introduction:
Now, I have been reading newspaper comics for many years now with “Garfield” and “Peanuts” being my most read out of all the newspaper comics. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that there was a newspaper comic series called “Lio” that was created by Mark Tatulli and after reading my first “Lio” comic book which is called “Lio” There’s A Monster in my Socks,” I am definitely going to keep reading this series for a long time!
What is this story about?
In this graphic novel, we see the various hijinks that Lio and his father get into as Lio’s creepy nature causes a lot of humorous and creepy situations to arise such as giving out guns to hunters, only for the hunters to realize too late that the guns are fake and the animals start viciously mauling them and Lio owning several scary creatures as pets such as spiders, snakes, squids and dragons!
What I loved about this story:
Mark Tatulli’s writing: Even though there are barely any dialogue in this comic book, Mark Tatulli’s storytelling is highly creative and hilarious as the story cleverly integrates black comedy into the strips without going too dark with the punchlines and I enjoyed seeing various strips where Lio’s creepy nature is the highlight of the story, especially in the creative ways he deals with bullies who either picks on him or on someone who is smaller than the bullies. I also like the fact that Lio seems like a character straight out of Tim Burton’s works as he is a young boy who loves creepy things like spiders and world domination, but he is put into a world that treats his creepy obsessions as being humorous.
Mark Tatulli’s artwork: Mark Tatulli’s artwork really tells the story in this comic book and is hilarious and surprisingly cute at times, considering the black comedy that is prevalent throughout this comic. I like the fact that Lio is drawn as having a unique hairstyle where he has a small tuft of hair that sticks up in the front and has white blank eyes as it makes him look like a unique character. I also loved seeing the various monsters that Lio meets throughout the strips as we get to see Lio meet up with ghosts, dragons, the grim reaper and aliens and I loved the fact that they are drawn more realistically than the main characters of this comic strip as it helps set them apart from the humorous universe they are thrown in.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
For anyone who does not like black comedy, this comic book has plenty of dark humor that might make some readers uncomfortable. There are moments in this comic book where the jokes can get pretty dark at times such as scenes of Lio trying to achieve world domination by implanting weapons inside toys and him feeding cute little animals like puppies to his pet snake.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Lio: There’s A Monster in my Socks” is an excellent read for anyone who loves comic books that has black comedy and quirky situations!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
November 10, 2012
Strangely twisted and filled with unexpected moments, this graphic novel explores the day to day existence of Lio, a reader of comics, a collector of odd creatures, and budding scientist. Although I didn't always understand the humor in each strip, many of them made me howl or wince in fear for Lio's father who is saved by the alarm clock's ring from Lio's exploratory surgery. Or the strip that shows the delight with which Lio brings home a wriggling puppy, a birthday present for his pet snake Frank. Ouch! The dog is never seen again. Many readers will love the strip in which Lio loses his heart to a girl who punctures his balloon and the ones in which the woodland animals turn on their human hunters. While this one isn't for everyone and will likely offend and puzzle many, its wryness and its matter-of-fact exploration of Lio's life will appeal to many. The fact that the adventures are all based on illustrations but with not a single spoken word adds to the joys and challenges of reading the title. Readers are required to do much reading between the lines. I'll definitely look for more books about Lio.
November 28, 2018
One way to describe the character of Lio is dark. Also entertaining, twisted, amusing, weird, odd. A young boy whose world has aliens, monsters, robots, and the most interesting pets. And it's not his imagination.
Lio never speaks a word, the comedy is nearly all visual.
This edition is actually a collection from the first year of the syndicated comic strip. When compared to current strips, you can tell that Mark Tatulli was still finalizing how the characters looked. But that doesn't inhibit the enjoyment of the panels. His dad - who mostly appears in a tee, boxers and socks and has the same upward bangs that his son inherited - accepts his odd little boy. The cat, Cybil who usually uses the most interesting weapons in order to remind the humans he needs feeding. Lio's pet snake, spiders, and cephalopod. Classmates and bullies. The girl with the bangs covering her eyes that Lio has a crush on (she's not interested and destroys Lio's floating heart in a variety of interesting ways but he isn't discouraged).
To give an example: Lio is in bed, reading a book entitled "The Monster Under My Bed", notices a light under his bed, crawls underneath where the final panel is upside down with the monster reading a book entitled "The Weird Kid Under My Bed".
If you plan on reading about the adventures of Lio, having a off-kilter sense of humor certainly helps. Lio is available on-line on a daily basis.
Lio never speaks a word, the comedy is nearly all visual.
This edition is actually a collection from the first year of the syndicated comic strip. When compared to current strips, you can tell that Mark Tatulli was still finalizing how the characters looked. But that doesn't inhibit the enjoyment of the panels. His dad - who mostly appears in a tee, boxers and socks and has the same upward bangs that his son inherited - accepts his odd little boy. The cat, Cybil who usually uses the most interesting weapons in order to remind the humans he needs feeding. Lio's pet snake, spiders, and cephalopod. Classmates and bullies. The girl with the bangs covering her eyes that Lio has a crush on (she's not interested and destroys Lio's floating heart in a variety of interesting ways but he isn't discouraged).
To give an example: Lio is in bed, reading a book entitled "The Monster Under My Bed", notices a light under his bed, crawls underneath where the final panel is upside down with the monster reading a book entitled "The Weird Kid Under My Bed".
If you plan on reading about the adventures of Lio, having a off-kilter sense of humor certainly helps. Lio is available on-line on a daily basis.
June 18, 2017
like Lenore the Little dead girl meets Calvin & Hobbes but just strips with no big storyline. Not as charming? a couple laughs but. eh.
October 29, 2018
I think it would be better if accompanied by writings. Some images were incomprehensible to me.
June 11, 2020
THE BOOK HAS NO WORDS. That makes it confusing
May 28, 2023
Good if you never read any of the others, but this is a "best of" the others so it is pretty pointless overall.
October 8, 2023
Big fan of Lio!
Read
November 30, 2023This book was very funny and there is a laugh on every single page!
October 12, 2024
Wierd but endearing Liō has lots of curious companions and kooky encounters.
November 12, 2012
What do you do when your kids is obsessed with monsters and zombies? The best answer is to introduce him to Lio. Lio is the expressive silent type. His hair along with his actions make a statement kids will recognize, especially since there are no real words for kids to read. They can use their imagination as they examine the illustrations. The character Lio is creative, in one scene he attaches plunger cups to his shoes and climbs the walls, therefore hiding from his brother. Lio builds robots and snuggles with his pet cobra Frank. His imagination teeters between genius and the macabre. One particular scene demonstrates bullies making fun of a kid who has a hunchback. Lio rescues him and utilizes him as an assistant for his snake. One can only guess where this scenario will lead. Another scenario demonstrates Lio reaching out to aliens via radio waves, and once they arrive he trades a tricycle for their ship. Strangely humorous, kids and adults will love Lio and his ingeniously unusual humor and antics.
November 24, 2014
Well, even though I'm fan of the Lio comic strip, I've had this book on my shelf for two years. It's an uncorrected galley I got at the American Librarian Association conference (my sister-in-law is a librarian). This book is marketed towards kids ages 8-12. Lio is a quirky little boy interested in ghoulish, darker things than most kids his age are. I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading this. Only complaint- I wish this was a sequential collections of the strips from the beginning of the series onward but it appears to have been cherry-picked to provide strips more kid-accessible. Still, I enjoyed it.
March 24, 2014
I think this is one of the most unknown and underrated comic strips of recent time. It is often as intelligent as Calvin and Hobbes yet with no words ever spoken and it has a delightfully darker spin. Science, zombies, robots, cephalopods, and other unusual and geeky subjects are the usual topics and speak directly to my own soul. There are some real gems in this collection and it is definitely worth checking out.
November 7, 2012
Really liked this! Think Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) but with monsters. I love how the comics are almost wordless so the whole story and (black) humor is there in the pictures. Calvin would have appreciated Lio's ingenious invention for getting past the monsters under his bed.
December 29, 2013
Lio is attracted to the strange whether it be pets or technology and he is always up to no good. Wordless comics bring readers into his world and showcase his many pranks with humor.
Recommended for grades 3-5.
Recommended for grades 3-5.
October 16, 2012
Cleverly twisted. I'd read more.
December 7, 2012
Slightly dark humor, with tons of literary and pop culture allusions. Loved it! (and my 5th grade son MADE me read it)
January 26, 2013
You've got to love Lio and his crazy critters and monsters and aliens... The humor is a bit twisted, but always in good fun.
February 13, 2013
I wrote a short review over here
February 26, 2013
4 1/2 stars.
March 19, 2013
The Far Side for kids
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2013
Absolutely love this! Lio's my favorite comic!!!
August 18, 2013
He is rotten adn hilarious. Love him, and his dark, gothic kid self. Wordless, each page tess a story, would be great for a writing prompt class for kids.
September 15, 2013
Lio is a darkly humorous little boy - I really enjoyed reading this collection!
June 19, 2015
I love Lio. Such a strange kid, but interesting how Tatulli incorporates the monsters into every day life.
November 28, 2014
A hilarious romp. Often wordless comics that had me cracking up hysterically. Definitely a great book. Appeal level? 3rd through adult!!
March 9, 2015
Very funny.
November 28, 2015
This is the second Lio book I have read. It is still cute Nd a little odd. Perfect for young kids with a good sense of humor.
June 14, 2016
Picked it up when browsing the shelves of our local library. Really enjoyed it! When I took it to school my friends loved it too.
October 15, 2014
J741.56973 TAT
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews