What do you think?
Rate this book
Nnewts #1
Escape from the Lizzarks
A little hero faces big challenges in the first book of this totally unique fantasy-adventure series. The first book in the Nnewts series follows the story of Herk, a lovable Nnewt who longs for stronger legs, something his mother and father wish they could give him. When his quaint village is attacked by the reptile Lizzarks, he's forced to flee his home and leave behind the only life he's ever known. Now, all alone and on the run, Herk navigates a dangerous world filled with strange creatures and mysterious wonders, where friends are few and an evil lord is in hot pursuit.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2015
81 people are currently reading
640 people want to read
About the author
Doug TenNapel
54 books504 followersDoug TenNapel is the Eisner Award winning writer/artist of over sixteen graphic novels. He is published by Image Comics and Scholastic/Graphics.
He's been married for 27 years to the love of his life and has four book-loving kids.
Doug's favorite authors include G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. He reads mostly philosophy but tends to get his fiction from audio-books.
His performs live art demonstrations on his Facebook page, and has animated using pixel art for clients like BlueSky software and Electronic Arts. He also regularly posts on his Youtube channel.
Doug tries to write and draw something every day as a discipline that also happens to be a career.
He currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee.
He's been married for 27 years to the love of his life and has four book-loving kids.
Doug's favorite authors include G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. He reads mostly philosophy but tends to get his fiction from audio-books.
His performs live art demonstrations on his Facebook page, and has animated using pixel art for clients like BlueSky software and Electronic Arts. He also regularly posts on his Youtube channel.
Doug tries to write and draw something every day as a discipline that also happens to be a career.
He currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
August 26, 2019
The book was really nice. It had a good storyline. I really recommend it. It was a graphic novel. I found a difference between the character and I. The character is very brave, and I am not so brave.
August 28, 2016
This was an okay read. 3.5 stars. Love the illustrations. I'm just a bit confused about the story.
This graphic novel is about a division of a Kingdom. Once a great king had a great kingdom, but his subjects grew greedy and selfish. There was civil unrest and the kingdom broke apart. One side going up river and the other headed south. The northern territory called Nnewtown used Engery bugs to power the homes and still believed in magic. The south used Plasma Chili's to power theirs. The southern town no longer believed in magic and were still at war. This time instead of each other they fought Rrats.
The northerners were attacked one day by Llizzarks a magical lizard breed that were once thought to be myth. Herk the main character is trying to find his way in life without his parents and family.
At one point there is a bit of poetry that talks about the afterlife. It was a little religious in nature. Orion being their god of choice. I'm not sure what kind of moral this story has. The other graphic novels by Doug TenNapel I was able to say that it was similar to a Disney movie like Finding Nemo and Pinocchio. This was a little harder. Maybe I need to see what the sequel is like to find out.
This graphic novel is about a division of a Kingdom. Once a great king had a great kingdom, but his subjects grew greedy and selfish. There was civil unrest and the kingdom broke apart. One side going up river and the other headed south. The northern territory called Nnewtown used Engery bugs to power the homes and still believed in magic. The south used Plasma Chili's to power theirs. The southern town no longer believed in magic and were still at war. This time instead of each other they fought Rrats.
The northerners were attacked one day by Llizzarks a magical lizard breed that were once thought to be myth. Herk the main character is trying to find his way in life without his parents and family.
At one point there is a bit of poetry that talks about the afterlife. It was a little religious in nature. Orion being their god of choice. I'm not sure what kind of moral this story has. The other graphic novels by Doug TenNapel I was able to say that it was similar to a Disney movie like Finding Nemo and Pinocchio. This was a little harder. Maybe I need to see what the sequel is like to find out.
Read
September 2, 2015In the Nnewt village, magician's son Herk is sick of being stuck in the spawning pool with the eggs, as his legs are still too weak to allow him to walk around with the older newts. When his village is sacked by the evil Lizzarks, Herk is the only one to escape alive (or is he?). Fleeing by water and other means, always pursued, he has a string of adventures that lead him to some truths he never suspected--and both danger and kindness. But the story is far from over...
I usually love TenNapel's books, and the graphics in this and the creativity of the Nnewt world is right on target with his earlier works. It's beautiful to look at, and the details are intriguing and fantastical. I did have some issues with this one, though. The writing felt a bit rough, and there's a whole sort of going-to-heaven sequence in the middle that seems very out of place in terms of plot, pacing, and the overall feel of an adventure story. I'm not sure why it was there, to be honest, and think it could easily have been left out or shortened to a couple of frames. I think kids will mostly like this, though, especially if they're fans of his other books.
I usually love TenNapel's books, and the graphics in this and the creativity of the Nnewt world is right on target with his earlier works. It's beautiful to look at, and the details are intriguing and fantastical. I did have some issues with this one, though. The writing felt a bit rough, and there's a whole sort of going-to-heaven sequence in the middle that seems very out of place in terms of plot, pacing, and the overall feel of an adventure story. I'm not sure why it was there, to be honest, and think it could easily have been left out or shortened to a couple of frames. I think kids will mostly like this, though, especially if they're fans of his other books.
August 15, 2023
A charming story, beautiful art and some great writing. Very much enjoyed.
July 2, 2015
I struggled with the rating of this book.
The artwork was marvelous and there did seem to be an interesting story trying to take place, but everything happened at breakneck speed and there didn't seem to be any type of pacing or flow going on throughout this book.
I didn't find it confusing, but I can understand how children might.
I also am not sure who the target audience is for Nnewts. There was far, far more graphic violence in this graphic novel than in any other children's or YA graphic novel that I can call to mind. I would not feel comfortable recommending this to anyone under fourteen or fifteen at least and even I as an adult found some of the scenes a tad disturbing.
Nnewts also ends in a cliffhanger which I personally detest.
I could not see myself continuing to read if this becomes a series.
The artwork was marvelous and there did seem to be an interesting story trying to take place, but everything happened at breakneck speed and there didn't seem to be any type of pacing or flow going on throughout this book.
I didn't find it confusing, but I can understand how children might.
I also am not sure who the target audience is for Nnewts. There was far, far more graphic violence in this graphic novel than in any other children's or YA graphic novel that I can call to mind. I would not feel comfortable recommending this to anyone under fourteen or fifteen at least and even I as an adult found some of the scenes a tad disturbing.
Nnewts also ends in a cliffhanger which I personally detest.
I could not see myself continuing to read if this becomes a series.
January 12, 2015
A sweet little Nnewt village is attacked by violent evil Lizzarks, but our unlikely hero, Herk, gets away to fight another day even though he lacks his newt legs and must crawl like a tadpole. Herk discovers an unknown Nnewt village (and here it takes on a Boneville turn) and is embraced by a new community. TenNapel’s Cardboard and Ghostopolis are more engaging stories. Here there’s nothing unique except an odd journey to the heavens when Herk’s parents die and Orion (Nnewt god) intervenes when Herk has his closest call with death. PG cartoon violence will attract certain readers, but this amphibian vs. reptile tale is ultimately stale.
March 29, 2015
Oh, Doug TenNapel, you are so weird but in the best way. This graphic novel, like TenNapel's other works, reads very cinematically; I could imagine I was watching a TV show as the action unfolded in front of me. This is an imaginative start to a new series.
June 10, 2015
Many of my students enjoyed this graphic novel this year. Fans of Cardboard will like this one.
February 3, 2019
Not my favorite of TenNapel's books. I was not as invested in Herk's misfortunes as I should have been. Having said that, my students LOVE this one, which is why I picked it up.
Read
March 1, 2021the book was about a boy that got attacked by some monsters and he had to run away because his dad died and his mom fighted the monsters.he ran away and he went to tunnel and got away but then a big monster was in the tunnel following the boy.he got away and went to a big ocean and then saw another person like him but the man was very old and was the first person of his kind and he help the boy find his legs. he said he had to fight a monster to get his legs back. and he took his legs back and the monster was mad and he started to fight and the big monster like snake died. then at the end of the storie it showed that his sister was alive and that she had to work for the monsters king.`
November 27, 2018
This book is very fascinating, especially the twists, turns, and shocks. Once you read this book you really get connected with Herk and see how it feels, when you're all alone and have nowhere to go. When Herk travels by himself, his parents die, his sister betrays him, and has to go through it essentially by himself which is astonishing. These Lizzarks took down his village while this all happened. One minute Herk had everything, the next he had nothing. I would really nominate this to a lot of people, such as people who love to read comics.
October 23, 2019
Dramatic and very strange story about warring between different species on an alien planet. The story is heartbreaking in parts and I would not recommend it for very young readers, despite the cartoonish nature of the illustrations.
Experiences in the afterlife are presented and may be considered religious by some, but I think this helps to soften the brutality of characters dying.
Also, there are a lot of plot holes in the story that I assume will be resolved in future books. The book is just the first in a series and I am eager to read the next book.
Additionally, I thought it was interesting that Herk's disability is shown to be a distinctive characteristic that resulted from an event in his infancy.
Overall, it's an engaging story and depicts the ways in which age-old conflicts can become perpetuated by generations without truly knowing why they were at war in the first place.
Experiences in the afterlife are presented and may be considered religious by some, but I think this helps to soften the brutality of characters dying.
Also, there are a lot of plot holes in the story that I assume will be resolved in future books. The book is just the first in a series and I am eager to read the next book.
Additionally, I thought it was interesting that Herk's disability is shown to be a distinctive characteristic that resulted from an event in his infancy.
Overall, it's an engaging story and depicts the ways in which age-old conflicts can become perpetuated by generations without truly knowing why they were at war in the first place.
December 26, 2021
Read aloud to Joey. A little dark, but he enjoyed it. Good art.
December 3, 2018
Great, but could be longer.
November 10, 2019
The book Nnewts by Doug TenNapel is about a kid named Herk who can't walk because of his small legs. Also, a wierd kind of animals destroy herk's family and the town. It is herks journey to stop the lizzarks. "Little Legs. Big Heart" means that it doesn't matter about your disabilities, it matters about your inside. The book was sad in the beggining, but then it started rising to how herk is handeling against the lizzarks. Herk even takes out his inner power around the end. I liked this book a lot because of all the action and the heart breaking moments. If I would have been herk and watched my mother die, I would have got revenge. I recommend this book to people who like action and drama.
December 17, 2014
The Nnewt city is beset by evil Lizzarks in an unprovoked attack that devastates the people and leaves young Herk alone and on the run. The problem is that Herk is handicapped by under developed legs. As he struggles to survive he also searches for a way to restore his legs and find his destiny.
At times the story seems disconnected and problems are solved too conveniently and quickly. For instance, Herk has a disability but instead of overcoming it he [SPOILERS] fights the god of the Lizzarks who stole them from him as a child. It's over with a single blow off a rock to the head. How did he get there? At a temple in the ruins of the Nnewt city, where he finds himself after his family is murdered, and guided by an old king who appears and disappears just as quickly. Then he's at a huge city of Nnewts ams is saved by an arrow from a constellation. [END SPOILERS] I know there is a lot left untold at this point as this is only book one but I felt things really moved quickly with very little back story. Hopefully future books clear some of this up.
This is a book written with 8-12 year old kids in mind and I think that's the right age group for reading skill and interest. It may be rough on some to see the content depictions of Herk's parent and siblings killed. As my 8 year old said, [SPOILERS] "The book is interesting but a lot of people die." (See pictures to the left for the death of the mother.) [END SPOILERS]
The art is great - something you'd expect since the author created Earthworm Jim - and the story, while abrupt is fun and complex. I recommend it to older - 3rd grade and up - readers.
This book was provided by the publisher for review via Amazon Vine.
At times the story seems disconnected and problems are solved too conveniently and quickly. For instance, Herk has a disability but instead of overcoming it he [SPOILERS] fights the god of the Lizzarks who stole them from him as a child. It's over with a single blow off a rock to the head. How did he get there? At a temple in the ruins of the Nnewt city, where he finds himself after his family is murdered, and guided by an old king who appears and disappears just as quickly. Then he's at a huge city of Nnewts ams is saved by an arrow from a constellation. [END SPOILERS] I know there is a lot left untold at this point as this is only book one but I felt things really moved quickly with very little back story. Hopefully future books clear some of this up.
This is a book written with 8-12 year old kids in mind and I think that's the right age group for reading skill and interest. It may be rough on some to see the content depictions of Herk's parent and siblings killed. As my 8 year old said, [SPOILERS] "The book is interesting but a lot of people die." (See pictures to the left for the death of the mother.) [END SPOILERS]
The art is great - something you'd expect since the author created Earthworm Jim - and the story, while abrupt is fun and complex. I recommend it to older - 3rd grade and up - readers.
This book was provided by the publisher for review via Amazon Vine.
March 18, 2015
It's always challenging to review the first book in a planned series since there must be dangling ends in order for there to even merit a continuation of the story. In the case of this graphic novel series, the importance of Orion who saves the protagonist, Herk, just at the right moment, is clear but not why he intercedes. Nor is Herk's parentage certain. I'm assuming these issues will be explored further in the next installment, and I can raise my rating. On its own, though, the book is creative as it explores identity, friendship, and Herk's disability. A Nnewt with very weak legs, Herk longs for the day when his legs will be strong enough to support him on land. But when the Lizzarks attack his village while his magician father is out hunting, Herk flees and looks for sanctuary. Readers will enjoy all the twists and turns in the story and root for Herk to survive as the enemies are determined to destroy him. Sadly, one of his father's friends is turned by the enemies, and he is just as determined to kill Herk as everyone else. There are many scenes of violence, including Herk's mother's dispatching of her would-be killer with her own knife. The scenes in which those who have died are reunited in some sort of celestial fashion are touching and make me curious to know more about his world being painted in the book.
October 19, 2014
I received an ARC for my local library and read this to present a review.
Nnwets: Escape from the Lizzarks follows the first in a series of adventures featuring Herk, a nnewt with little legs but a lot of courage. When his town is attacked by lizzarks, he flees, beginning a journey he never knew he was destined for.
The premise, world, and characters of Nnwets all seem to spring into existence from nothing. While these are all good building blocks for a story full of encouragement and inspiration for young minds looking for adventure in their lives, the story moves too quickly to allow readers to fully grasp the emotions needed to carry them through the book with the determination of Herk finding his true purpose. With nods to Greek mythology, the book is more engaging for those who dissect the subtext of these references and adds another layer to the tragedies and triumphs of the characters.
Overall, while I am a fan of TenNapel's other works, this one misses the mark with a rushed feeling of incomplete thoughts. I would be interested to see how this story develops and would hope that with the addition of more background to the story and the mythology we can see a bigger picture form.
Nnwets: Escape from the Lizzarks follows the first in a series of adventures featuring Herk, a nnewt with little legs but a lot of courage. When his town is attacked by lizzarks, he flees, beginning a journey he never knew he was destined for.
The premise, world, and characters of Nnwets all seem to spring into existence from nothing. While these are all good building blocks for a story full of encouragement and inspiration for young minds looking for adventure in their lives, the story moves too quickly to allow readers to fully grasp the emotions needed to carry them through the book with the determination of Herk finding his true purpose. With nods to Greek mythology, the book is more engaging for those who dissect the subtext of these references and adds another layer to the tragedies and triumphs of the characters.
Overall, while I am a fan of TenNapel's other works, this one misses the mark with a rushed feeling of incomplete thoughts. I would be interested to see how this story develops and would hope that with the addition of more background to the story and the mythology we can see a bigger picture form.
November 3, 2015
Doug TenNapel is one of my favourite graphic novelists. I don't think I could not like anything he did :-) This is a cute fantasy for kids, not his very best work however still good for middle schoolers and elementary. Though the death of the main character's family may be too much for sensitive younger children. Very cute main characters, the nnewts, and scary-looking bad guys but also kind of creepy-cute. Basically an underdog story, where the protagonist has withered legs and cannot walk. It's amphibians vs lizards and a classic good vs evil story. At this point, volume one is an entertaining story without any earth-shattering moments, but the book ends with several plotlines dangling and the promise of something more to come. Knowing TenNapel's other work, I'm interested to see where he goes with the story.
December 19, 2014
This is a fun, quick, entertaining book. I love the graphics and the story. Herk is the perfect hero. I was cheering for him the whole time. The author did a good job of not getting too wordy with the story. What I mean by this is that he did not use a lot of big words or too much description, which for the age range he was going for the attention span of these younger readers is still short so less is more in this case. Plus the author knows how to write for this age group as the Lizzarks are scary and mean but not too scary to give children nightmares. Again Herk is cool. I can't want to continue this journey with him and see what happens next.
February 18, 2015
At the risk of too much honesty--Doug TenNapel is not my favorite graphic novel writer/artist, but this book, this book I enjoyed (except for the poetry portions...blech) and now I want to know/read more of this. Hmmm.
August 24, 2015
I wanted to like this since I'm in search of a new fantasy graphic novel series but Nnewts just didn't do anything for me. Everything seemed done before and was predictable. I did like the illustrations.
July 16, 2015
Fun middle grade read. Every time I thought it might be a little young the story veered into some thoughtful passages, deeper emotions, and/or dismemberment.
April 20, 2016
There's a lot of great stuff going on here, but it's almost too much. the pace is almost frantic and it's tough to keep up with everything that's going on. But it's good enough to keep reading!
March 27, 2020
This review covers all three volumes in the trilogy.
Welcome to Doug TenNapel’s own Chronicles of Narnia!
Where Christian allegory is rich within the colorful pages of an epic, childrens’ graphic novel and Biblical references become literal in the sequential art of a genius creative.
This was such an amazing breath of fresh air! Come to think of it, I always feel that way after reading a Doug TenNapel book. From my sister's first discovery of his work with Ghostopolis to getting punched by all the incredible feels and allegory in Creature Tech, I feel satisfied and even enlightened when I finish one of his graphic novels. With beautiful art, unique character design, and a story to rival C.S. Lewis, Nnewts is no disappointment.
For Everyone
Some things to consider for younger children. This trilogy was published through Scholstic’s children’s media publisher Graphix. The company labels these graphic novels for ages 8 - 12, and though there is no blood or gore, there is bloodless skewering and mild dismembering during the action scenes. Some characters like the Wizzark and Lurch after he transforms might be too scary for younger kids depending on their sensitivity level. This comic also doesn't shy away from the reality of death. Very early in volume 1 a character and their family dies--babies included. We see them reuniting in the afterlife. As an adult that caught me off guard and hit me pretty hard, but it's a good thing to talk with kids, and each other, about. As long as parents are aware of that I highly recommend everyone read this trilogy!
Despite how dark each volume gets, TenNapel always includes humor. Sometimes it's spontaneous and weird (little newt messengers breaking the flow of the plot by secretly performing can-can musical numbers beneath the city only to continue with the peril seconds later; an all-powerful evil snake lord stuck in a radish) and other times it's natural to the characters like camaraderie between siblings as they play a prank.
Speaking of characters, the Nnewts cast is full of TenNapel's exceptionally colorful designs and complex layers. Several times a character (main or in the background) will start out believing in either the side of light or the side of darkness and will question their belief. One scene in Volume 1 shows Herk (the Nnewt whose journey we follow) talking to a turtle about how no one is just strictly good or bad. About how sometimes people considered bad do good and those considered good do bad. That theme is carried through all three books seeing villains like the Wizzark giving a justified explanation to why he chooses to follow the Snake Lord and showing how he still wants the siblings he was separated from. From the villains to the background characters to the protagonist, every character feels real and I can't get enough of it.
Story and Allegory
I'm gonna go in really deep with the analysis here, so if you like literacy you can keep reading otherwise you can skip. Also, SPOILERS IN THIS SECTION.
On the surface this trilogy is an epic, good vs. evil, hero's journey following a young, crippled Nnewt named Herk and his battle to save the world. Going in that's all I really expected from this comic with a message on friendship, or something like that.
Dude. These volumes are PACKED to bursting with so much more than what any page description can attempt and I am diving in. This is just stuff I found, but I'm sure there is much more that I missed.
Some things are easy enough to see if one was raised in Sunday school: Herk and his brother being sent down the river is reminiscent of Moses in the book of Exodus, the Snake Lord obviously represents Satan, Orion represents the Holy Trinity, the metaphor of the Lizzark scales separating them from Orion and things that are good is reminiscent of Saul in Acts where he was blinded with scales until he turned his heart to God, and the dessert the Wizzark tells Sissy to eat could represent sin being that dessert tastes good but is bad for you.
Other things I really had to rack my brain to decipher as they aren't exactly explained in the books.
Singing and Beauty
There is a lot of use of singing as a weapon in this comic. Whenever some of the characters face off with an attack from the Snake Lord they sing and he, as well as the darkness that corrupted him, lose their power. One Christ-like figure, Anthigar, uses a type of magic simply described as "beauty" with his singing to help defeat the darkness. Apparently the Snake Lord and his corrupted armies have been threatening the followers of Orion for hundreds of years and it wasn't until Herk's dad--a magician--discovered the "beauty spell" to finally stop the darkness.
Beauty could be seen in many metaphysical ways and not only as a way to describe something pretty we see with our eyes. In this trilogy, I think beauty is the reason for wanting to continue existing. There is beauty in creation, beauty in nature, beauty in love of all variations, beauty in forgiveness, beauty in redemption. This comic asks: Can you see the beauty? Is it in your heart? Or has the ugliness of the world--anger, hatred, deception, mean-spiritedness, violence, selfishness--taken over your heart? Has it taken over your belief? After Anthigar goes into Herk's heart and defeats the corruption there he explains that they have to fight using beauty but it will have no effect "if we forget our beautiful songs, hide the beauty in our hearts out of cowardice before the ugly, then the whole world will fall under the influence of the ugly," (Anthigar, The Battle For Amphibopolis)
Much like worship and praise to God helps connect to the Holy Spirit in Christianity, I think the singing helps the Nnewts connect to the power of beauty. Through song they are able to use magic and defeat evil, returning a corrupted Herk back into a good-hearted Nnewt.
Biblical References
Anthigar's speech , above, about hiding the beauty out of fear harkens to
Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (NIV)
In Volume 1 it’s revealed that the Snake Lord stole Herk and his brother’s legs before they were born, taking their gift to keep them from their purposes.
John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (NIV)
Urch, a loyal friend to Herk’s family, is corrupted and transformed into a Lizzark. This allows him to speak to the Snake Lord through his hands. When Herk uses his power to accidentally turn one of Urch’s hands back to normal, Urch is in a constant fluctuation of inner conflict about what is right and what is wrong. He can’t decide between listening to his Lizzark hand or his Nnewt hand.
Matthew 5:30: “...If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that of your whole body.” (ESV)
Even though Jesus was speaking about the church body, TenNapel uses the metaphor in a literal sense. This also encourages the theme of being morally grey and that it is near impossible to avoid sin when born in a sinful world.
TenNapel dedicates a whole chapter in Volume 2 to the idea of temptation and choosing to do what is right even when it is difficult. An elderly Nnewt debates stealing a casserole dish when he finds out a general ordered the same dish and is considered more important than he is. He chooses not to and is blessed for his decision.
1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”(NIV)
Characters also are able to activate magic by saying Anthgiar’s name. When Herk, and others, are in the Nnewts version of Hell they call on Anthigar’s name and are teleported back to safety. At one point, Herk is fully transforming into a snake and Anthigar tells him, “Speak my name and I will fight for you.”
Philipians 2:9-11: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (NIV)
Conclusion
You don’t have to know all of the references or even be a Chrisitan to enjoy this graphic novel trilogy. It has important everyday values anyone can learn from, incredibly crafted, epic fight scenes, laugh out loud moments that help break up the seriousness, and addictively designed characters that my eyes can’t get enough of (I especially love the character design of General Mander, a blue salamander general in armor with the square jaw and serious, half-lidded eyes of a hero).
Ever since I fell in love with the allegory of TenNapel’s Creature Tech I am willing to read anything this man produces from that incredibile brain of his. I mentioned Chronicles of Narnia earlier for a good reason. TenNapel has openly stated his beliefs on social media and his blog, unafraid to let that light shine. He wrote a tear-jerker of a post about his view on death and a commenter on his website compared TenNapel’s statement to C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. As soon as I finished Nnewts I couldn’t agree more. Read Nnewts, read TenNapel’s other works. I promise you will laugh and cry and have an awesome time doing so.
Blog post reference: https://tennapel.wordpress.com/2014/0...
Welcome to Doug TenNapel’s own Chronicles of Narnia!
Where Christian allegory is rich within the colorful pages of an epic, childrens’ graphic novel and Biblical references become literal in the sequential art of a genius creative.
This was such an amazing breath of fresh air! Come to think of it, I always feel that way after reading a Doug TenNapel book. From my sister's first discovery of his work with Ghostopolis to getting punched by all the incredible feels and allegory in Creature Tech, I feel satisfied and even enlightened when I finish one of his graphic novels. With beautiful art, unique character design, and a story to rival C.S. Lewis, Nnewts is no disappointment.
For Everyone
Some things to consider for younger children. This trilogy was published through Scholstic’s children’s media publisher Graphix. The company labels these graphic novels for ages 8 - 12, and though there is no blood or gore, there is bloodless skewering and mild dismembering during the action scenes. Some characters like the Wizzark and Lurch after he transforms might be too scary for younger kids depending on their sensitivity level. This comic also doesn't shy away from the reality of death. Very early in volume 1 a character and their family dies--babies included. We see them reuniting in the afterlife. As an adult that caught me off guard and hit me pretty hard, but it's a good thing to talk with kids, and each other, about. As long as parents are aware of that I highly recommend everyone read this trilogy!
Despite how dark each volume gets, TenNapel always includes humor. Sometimes it's spontaneous and weird (little newt messengers breaking the flow of the plot by secretly performing can-can musical numbers beneath the city only to continue with the peril seconds later; an all-powerful evil snake lord stuck in a radish) and other times it's natural to the characters like camaraderie between siblings as they play a prank.
Speaking of characters, the Nnewts cast is full of TenNapel's exceptionally colorful designs and complex layers. Several times a character (main or in the background) will start out believing in either the side of light or the side of darkness and will question their belief. One scene in Volume 1 shows Herk (the Nnewt whose journey we follow) talking to a turtle about how no one is just strictly good or bad. About how sometimes people considered bad do good and those considered good do bad. That theme is carried through all three books seeing villains like the Wizzark giving a justified explanation to why he chooses to follow the Snake Lord and showing how he still wants the siblings he was separated from. From the villains to the background characters to the protagonist, every character feels real and I can't get enough of it.
Story and Allegory
I'm gonna go in really deep with the analysis here, so if you like literacy you can keep reading otherwise you can skip. Also, SPOILERS IN THIS SECTION.
On the surface this trilogy is an epic, good vs. evil, hero's journey following a young, crippled Nnewt named Herk and his battle to save the world. Going in that's all I really expected from this comic with a message on friendship, or something like that.
Dude. These volumes are PACKED to bursting with so much more than what any page description can attempt and I am diving in. This is just stuff I found, but I'm sure there is much more that I missed.
Some things are easy enough to see if one was raised in Sunday school: Herk and his brother being sent down the river is reminiscent of Moses in the book of Exodus, the Snake Lord obviously represents Satan, Orion represents the Holy Trinity, the metaphor of the Lizzark scales separating them from Orion and things that are good is reminiscent of Saul in Acts where he was blinded with scales until he turned his heart to God, and the dessert the Wizzark tells Sissy to eat could represent sin being that dessert tastes good but is bad for you.
Other things I really had to rack my brain to decipher as they aren't exactly explained in the books.
Singing and Beauty
There is a lot of use of singing as a weapon in this comic. Whenever some of the characters face off with an attack from the Snake Lord they sing and he, as well as the darkness that corrupted him, lose their power. One Christ-like figure, Anthigar, uses a type of magic simply described as "beauty" with his singing to help defeat the darkness. Apparently the Snake Lord and his corrupted armies have been threatening the followers of Orion for hundreds of years and it wasn't until Herk's dad--a magician--discovered the "beauty spell" to finally stop the darkness.
Beauty could be seen in many metaphysical ways and not only as a way to describe something pretty we see with our eyes. In this trilogy, I think beauty is the reason for wanting to continue existing. There is beauty in creation, beauty in nature, beauty in love of all variations, beauty in forgiveness, beauty in redemption. This comic asks: Can you see the beauty? Is it in your heart? Or has the ugliness of the world--anger, hatred, deception, mean-spiritedness, violence, selfishness--taken over your heart? Has it taken over your belief? After Anthigar goes into Herk's heart and defeats the corruption there he explains that they have to fight using beauty but it will have no effect "if we forget our beautiful songs, hide the beauty in our hearts out of cowardice before the ugly, then the whole world will fall under the influence of the ugly," (Anthigar, The Battle For Amphibopolis)
Much like worship and praise to God helps connect to the Holy Spirit in Christianity, I think the singing helps the Nnewts connect to the power of beauty. Through song they are able to use magic and defeat evil, returning a corrupted Herk back into a good-hearted Nnewt.
Biblical References
Anthigar's speech , above, about hiding the beauty out of fear harkens to
Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (NIV)
In Volume 1 it’s revealed that the Snake Lord stole Herk and his brother’s legs before they were born, taking their gift to keep them from their purposes.
John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (NIV)
Urch, a loyal friend to Herk’s family, is corrupted and transformed into a Lizzark. This allows him to speak to the Snake Lord through his hands. When Herk uses his power to accidentally turn one of Urch’s hands back to normal, Urch is in a constant fluctuation of inner conflict about what is right and what is wrong. He can’t decide between listening to his Lizzark hand or his Nnewt hand.
Matthew 5:30: “...If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that of your whole body.” (ESV)
Even though Jesus was speaking about the church body, TenNapel uses the metaphor in a literal sense. This also encourages the theme of being morally grey and that it is near impossible to avoid sin when born in a sinful world.
TenNapel dedicates a whole chapter in Volume 2 to the idea of temptation and choosing to do what is right even when it is difficult. An elderly Nnewt debates stealing a casserole dish when he finds out a general ordered the same dish and is considered more important than he is. He chooses not to and is blessed for his decision.
1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”(NIV)
Characters also are able to activate magic by saying Anthgiar’s name. When Herk, and others, are in the Nnewts version of Hell they call on Anthigar’s name and are teleported back to safety. At one point, Herk is fully transforming into a snake and Anthigar tells him, “Speak my name and I will fight for you.”
Philipians 2:9-11: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (NIV)
Conclusion
You don’t have to know all of the references or even be a Chrisitan to enjoy this graphic novel trilogy. It has important everyday values anyone can learn from, incredibly crafted, epic fight scenes, laugh out loud moments that help break up the seriousness, and addictively designed characters that my eyes can’t get enough of (I especially love the character design of General Mander, a blue salamander general in armor with the square jaw and serious, half-lidded eyes of a hero).
Ever since I fell in love with the allegory of TenNapel’s Creature Tech I am willing to read anything this man produces from that incredibile brain of his. I mentioned Chronicles of Narnia earlier for a good reason. TenNapel has openly stated his beliefs on social media and his blog, unafraid to let that light shine. He wrote a tear-jerker of a post about his view on death and a commenter on his website compared TenNapel’s statement to C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. As soon as I finished Nnewts I couldn’t agree more. Read Nnewts, read TenNapel’s other works. I promise you will laugh and cry and have an awesome time doing so.
Blog post reference: https://tennapel.wordpress.com/2014/0...
May 25, 2022
Review Posted @ https://www.jake-s-entertainment-revi...
Doug TenNapel is a name that at first glance you may not recognize right away, but in truth, this talented graphic artist has been putting out many stories on paper such as Ghostopolis: Bad Island and Tommysauras Rex to name a few. Loyal gamers may also recognize TenNapel’s name as the official creator of the main character from the cult classic video game Earthworm Jim. I have never really been introduced to any of these pieces of media from Doug TenNapel but after reading the first book of one of his series titled Nnewts, I found myself intrigued to wonder what else this graphic artist has in store.
Herk is a young Nnewt who wishes for stronger legs so he can walk on land, when his home village of Nnewtown is attacked by Lizzarks, he is forced into surviving while staying out of the Lizzark's sight. Herk comes across many dangers as well as many allies as he tries to figure out a way to get stronger legs and avoid the danger that is closing in on him.
The Story is anything but just a cutesy adventure because this narrative doesn’t hold back into being an adventure that has many shocking moments and light violence that may prove to be a little much for younger readers. Still, I think it's great that there are stories for kids that do push the boundaries of graphic novel storytelling and don’t hold back on showing darkness because it opens kids up to how storytelling can be more than just having main characters having perfect lives and dealing with little to no trauma because having complex trauma in our lives is what makes us human and kids should realize that when they are of age. However, the story isn’t all scary and dark as there are still plenty of fun and lighthearted moments that make their way into the story and they don’t feel out of place in the slightest. If you have a kid looking to read a more seriously toned graphic novel but are not old enough to read stuff like Modern Marvel Comics, this is a good read that will have just enough maturity to be satisfying for younger and older readers alike.
The Characters are delightful, especially Herk who is a very young and flawed child but has a good heart and is easy to root for. He’s not too dissimilar to other fictional characters who may have ended up in similar positions, but Herk has enough of an edge to stand out into being a character whose familiar but with different qualities. Other characters Herk meets along the way will come to either help him or stop him from reaching his goals. The evil Lizzarks are lead by a villain who remains in the shadows while friendly characters like Pikk are happy to help Herk in finding a new home and guide Herk into achieving his destiny. Only time will tell if these characters will hold up to other well-known graphic novel favorites, but these characters regardless were interesting and made me want to read more in the following books they will appear in.
The Illustrations can be cute sometimes, but the majority of everything is very atmospheric and even frightening. The colors of each setting we visit give off a multitude of feelings and perfectly evoke the somewhat dark yet hopeful tone of what this series is striving for. Every location feels like something out of The Lord of the Rings yet still has a bit of that childlike touch that makes the locations feel more unique from other similar fantasy stories. The character designs while cute are also very exprevise and are needed to evoke complex emotions such as sadness and even anger. This novel also banks on being violent sometimes but not in a way that becomes too gruesome or gory. This novel’s visuals could be a little scary for very younger readers, but it's great to see a novel that does not back out on scary imagery while mixing it with colorful backdrops.
Doug TenNapel has created something that does not talk down to kids and gives them an adventure that has great storytelling, likable characters, and beautiful illustrations. Sure the light violence may be a little too much for younger readers, but I’d much rather have a “kids” graphic novel that pushes against cutesy norms to deliver something different and full of complexity I’m happy to report that this author has my attention and I will be looking forward to reading more of the Nnewts storyline to see how it ends.
Doug TenNapel is a name that at first glance you may not recognize right away, but in truth, this talented graphic artist has been putting out many stories on paper such as Ghostopolis: Bad Island and Tommysauras Rex to name a few. Loyal gamers may also recognize TenNapel’s name as the official creator of the main character from the cult classic video game Earthworm Jim. I have never really been introduced to any of these pieces of media from Doug TenNapel but after reading the first book of one of his series titled Nnewts, I found myself intrigued to wonder what else this graphic artist has in store.
Herk is a young Nnewt who wishes for stronger legs so he can walk on land, when his home village of Nnewtown is attacked by Lizzarks, he is forced into surviving while staying out of the Lizzark's sight. Herk comes across many dangers as well as many allies as he tries to figure out a way to get stronger legs and avoid the danger that is closing in on him.
The Story is anything but just a cutesy adventure because this narrative doesn’t hold back into being an adventure that has many shocking moments and light violence that may prove to be a little much for younger readers. Still, I think it's great that there are stories for kids that do push the boundaries of graphic novel storytelling and don’t hold back on showing darkness because it opens kids up to how storytelling can be more than just having main characters having perfect lives and dealing with little to no trauma because having complex trauma in our lives is what makes us human and kids should realize that when they are of age. However, the story isn’t all scary and dark as there are still plenty of fun and lighthearted moments that make their way into the story and they don’t feel out of place in the slightest. If you have a kid looking to read a more seriously toned graphic novel but are not old enough to read stuff like Modern Marvel Comics, this is a good read that will have just enough maturity to be satisfying for younger and older readers alike.
The Characters are delightful, especially Herk who is a very young and flawed child but has a good heart and is easy to root for. He’s not too dissimilar to other fictional characters who may have ended up in similar positions, but Herk has enough of an edge to stand out into being a character whose familiar but with different qualities. Other characters Herk meets along the way will come to either help him or stop him from reaching his goals. The evil Lizzarks are lead by a villain who remains in the shadows while friendly characters like Pikk are happy to help Herk in finding a new home and guide Herk into achieving his destiny. Only time will tell if these characters will hold up to other well-known graphic novel favorites, but these characters regardless were interesting and made me want to read more in the following books they will appear in.
The Illustrations can be cute sometimes, but the majority of everything is very atmospheric and even frightening. The colors of each setting we visit give off a multitude of feelings and perfectly evoke the somewhat dark yet hopeful tone of what this series is striving for. Every location feels like something out of The Lord of the Rings yet still has a bit of that childlike touch that makes the locations feel more unique from other similar fantasy stories. The character designs while cute are also very exprevise and are needed to evoke complex emotions such as sadness and even anger. This novel also banks on being violent sometimes but not in a way that becomes too gruesome or gory. This novel’s visuals could be a little scary for very younger readers, but it's great to see a novel that does not back out on scary imagery while mixing it with colorful backdrops.
Doug TenNapel has created something that does not talk down to kids and gives them an adventure that has great storytelling, likable characters, and beautiful illustrations. Sure the light violence may be a little too much for younger readers, but I’d much rather have a “kids” graphic novel that pushes against cutesy norms to deliver something different and full of complexity I’m happy to report that this author has my attention and I will be looking forward to reading more of the Nnewts storyline to see how it ends.
July 7, 2018
Nnewts: Escape from the Lizzarks by Doug TenNapel is another summer reading selection for middle grade readers. This is the first in a series of graphic novels which follow the adventures of Herc, a Nnewt, who is on both a literal and figurative journey of self-discovery. From the beginning, the reader is launched into this fictional world of creatures called Nnewts and their enemies the Lizzarks. There was a sense that one should already be familiar with characters and backstory. The narrative seemed to be all over the place which compounded the issue. I feel like the author was trying to put a spin on the classic 'underdog who surprises everyone to come out on top' but it was all a bit rushed in my opinion. Also, if this is a series I see no reason why the pacing had to be so hurried. I went into this one with fairly high hopes as the first couple of pages seemed quite interesting but this is one of those books that just didn't work for me. However, I'm betting it will appeal to a younger audience. (It is after all not marketed for me so this makes perfect sense.) It will probably come as no surprise to any of you that I have no plans to continue this series but I have recommended it to some of my younger readers who like a lot of blood, guts, and gore. No complaints thus far. :-) The best thing I can say about this particular book is that the color illustrations were very imaginative but the rest of it left quite a bit to desire. 2/10
SPOILER ALERT: Straight out of the gate most of the characters are killed off and I feel like this was a lazy way to move the hero's journey ahead. Also, because it happened so early on there was really no emotional attachment or buildup so it served very little purpose (at least from a reader's perspective).
SPOILER ALERT: Straight out of the gate most of the characters are killed off and I feel like this was a lazy way to move the hero's journey ahead. Also, because it happened so early on there was really no emotional attachment or buildup so it served very little purpose (at least from a reader's perspective).
May 23, 2019
As a 14 year old in high school
In my opinion i think that this book wasn't bad but also wasn't the best because in the beginning it had alot of drama in the village and then towards the middle it started to get intense and then towards the end the author leaves us readers with a cliffhanger. The main characters are herk, his mom, dad,weretoads.Their village gets attacked by the weretoads and the warriors have to protect the village.Herk's wants strong legs something that his mom and dad wish they could give him.
An important theme to this book is to always believe in yourself no matter what because nothing is impossible .
Herk started off as a young warrior that can't walk and has to stay in the water.Herk is a really good kid because he would always be there for his family.Sissy was herks little sister.Sissy would always want to play games with Herk and sissy loves to play with her friend shelby.Herks father is a warrior who protects the village from invaders like weretoads.He would always show a be a great example to Herk and show him how to be a man.Herks mother would always be over protected, she would always be worried about Herks father and Herk.Especially Herks father because he would always go out to go get power bugs which powered up the village, however it was never safe because of the weretoads.
Motif to this story is Herks legs because he shows that he can walk but he really can't but he tries.This represents a repeated symbol because he is always trying to show that he really can walk.
The visual art in this book is great because it has great detailed
In my opinion i think that this book wasn't bad but also wasn't the best because in the beginning it had alot of drama in the village and then towards the middle it started to get intense and then towards the end the author leaves us readers with a cliffhanger. The main characters are herk, his mom, dad,weretoads.Their village gets attacked by the weretoads and the warriors have to protect the village.Herk's wants strong legs something that his mom and dad wish they could give him.
An important theme to this book is to always believe in yourself no matter what because nothing is impossible .
Herk started off as a young warrior that can't walk and has to stay in the water.Herk is a really good kid because he would always be there for his family.Sissy was herks little sister.Sissy would always want to play games with Herk and sissy loves to play with her friend shelby.Herks father is a warrior who protects the village from invaders like weretoads.He would always show a be a great example to Herk and show him how to be a man.Herks mother would always be over protected, she would always be worried about Herks father and Herk.Especially Herks father because he would always go out to go get power bugs which powered up the village, however it was never safe because of the weretoads.
Motif to this story is Herks legs because he shows that he can walk but he really can't but he tries.This represents a repeated symbol because he is always trying to show that he really can walk.
The visual art in this book is great because it has great detailed
December 13, 2023
I am reviewing a book called “Nnewts”, By Doug Tennapel. Herk, a lovable sea creature, lives with his family in a small town called Nnewtown. The hunters (Gullimar and Urch) protect the town from the evil creatures called Lizzarks. Lizzarks are big, disgusting sea creatures who kill Nnewts whenever they can get the chance to. The hunters leave, leaving the town in danger of being attacked by theLizzarks. The hunters are nowhere to be seen, but the Lizzarks are.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The Lizarks destroy the town leaving no Nnewt standing except Herk. The Nnewts kill some of the Lizzarks, scaring them away. Herk and the rest of his buddys come back to see the town destroyed and in shambles. The Nnewts build their town back with the help of anyone they can get their hands on. The hunters come back and find out that Herk got his legs back. Herk got his legs back by fighting off the master Lizark that stole them in the first place. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it's very action packed and is very detailed. This book also has a mix of creepy, bizarre pictures that can help the reader with understanding the book. I also like this book because the characters in this book are very brave. This book is good for readers nine years and up because it has some hard words in it and some scary pictures. Again, this book is amazing and I would recommend reading this book.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The Lizarks destroy the town leaving no Nnewt standing except Herk. The Nnewts kill some of the Lizzarks, scaring them away. Herk and the rest of his buddys come back to see the town destroyed and in shambles. The Nnewts build their town back with the help of anyone they can get their hands on. The hunters come back and find out that Herk got his legs back. Herk got his legs back by fighting off the master Lizark that stole them in the first place. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it's very action packed and is very detailed. This book also has a mix of creepy, bizarre pictures that can help the reader with understanding the book. I also like this book because the characters in this book are very brave. This book is good for readers nine years and up because it has some hard words in it and some scary pictures. Again, this book is amazing and I would recommend reading this book.
October 3, 2023
This was an odd one. The humor is a little offbeat, but can be very funny. There were quite a few lines that I went back to reread. I noticed things going completely off the rails once some of the characters move to the spiritual plain and there is a literal deus ex machina moment. This all made sense after I read the author bio at the end, because Doug TenNapel is the creator of Earthworm Jim, and I know that sense of humor. The art is......okay well it's ugly. But ugly in an endearing way! Like I luv Halloween, or I hate fairyland. (Except for some of the art is just capital U ugly. It just is!)
My favorite part is that the newt eggs talk and are surprisingly really really cute. Also that there's just a super deep water filled hole in the middle of the house to accommodate the aquatic members of the family. Cause just imagine, all of the houses are like that, it has to be standard design. Imagine you can't visit relatives with your kids because they have no giant living room water hole for you to plop your spawn in.
*edit to add ; there is also a pretty major plot hole the size of a baby spawn hole in this story, in regards to one of the characters origins. At one point it is made clear that they are adopted and everyone is aware, but then later it is "revealed" to a character who clearly already had that knowledge. We already knew that, from like 10 pages back.
My favorite part is that the newt eggs talk and are surprisingly really really cute. Also that there's just a super deep water filled hole in the middle of the house to accommodate the aquatic members of the family. Cause just imagine, all of the houses are like that, it has to be standard design. Imagine you can't visit relatives with your kids because they have no giant living room water hole for you to plop your spawn in.
*edit to add ; there is also a pretty major plot hole the size of a baby spawn hole in this story, in regards to one of the characters origins. At one point it is made clear that they are adopted and everyone is aware, but then later it is "revealed" to a character who clearly already had that knowledge. We already knew that, from like 10 pages back.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews