Action Tank

by Mike Barry

Action Tank is the first graphic novel from Australian author Mike Barry. It’s the story of a boy who finds himself on the other side of the Solar System and must rely on his brains, his courage and the advice of a mysterious talking unicorn guy if he wants to get home in time for his Mum’s spaghetti carbonara. He does. It’s his favourite.

A fast-moving adventure for readers of all ages, Action Tank is 100 pages of full-colour comic book storytelling about discovery, friendship, and what you’re really capable of.

100 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

Mike Barry is the writer and artist of Action Tank, an amazing graphic novel series for amazing kids. He lives with his wife and sons near the beach in Sydney, Australia, which is even better than it sounds.

Reviews

[April Gray]

This was imaginative and fun! Admittedly, there's not as much action as the title suggests, but the stuff that happens that happens is mysterious enough to suck the reader in: a boy wakes up on Pluto wearing an Action Tank Adventure Suit and he has no idea why, and Rex, a talking quattricorn (think unicorn, but with four horns instead of one) hanging out nearby, isn't much of a talker (at least, not at first). The boy just wants to go home for dinner - Mom's making spaghetti carbonara - and Rex is there to offer suggestions, things he could do to help him get back home. Will the boy make it back? I can't answer that, because this ends with a cliffhanger - I need the next volume please!
I like that nothing is explained here. The boy does find a sort of instruction manual for the suit, but that doesn't really tell us much. I really wanna know what's going on here, so I'll definitely be looking out for the next volume.

[Raven Black]

An interesting look at a boy's adventures trying to get to dinner. Real or in his imagination, there are some abstract concepts, but everything is straight forward. I would like to have had the completed story, the comic one issue at a time might make me lose interest for following installments. The minimalistic artwork is both clever and surreal.

[Jaq]

I love this simple but satisfying tale. Such a delightful story, one that I can see kids struggling to read engaging with. Really well done. I cannot wait for the next instalment.

[Michael Earp]

A cute and fun space adventure. Who wouldn't be anxious about getting home in time for Mum's spaghetti carbonara?

[Jennifer Barry]

A delight for my sons to read over and over again. A graphic novel for young readers that respects the intelligence of the audience. Can't wait for Book 2!

[Ryan Lindsay]

A classic all ages comic tale in the making, and a truly exceptional use of the comic form. This is a big smile from end too end, and will leave your brain working for months to come.

[Alisa]

Graphic novel about a kid who ends up on Pluto but just wants to get home for dinner. Some creative graphics and a few funny lines, but overall not a very engaging story

[Ben]

Read this series with my 8 year old son and it was awesome, we loved it, highly recommend. Awesome art work and epic story.