Lobster Cop

Officer Clawsome #1

by Brian "Smitty" Smith, Chris Giarrusso (Illustrator)

Dog Man meets SpongeBob in Lobster Cop (Officer Clawsome) , a fast-paced and funny middle grade graphic novel series about the crimefighting duo Clawsome, a lobster, and his partner Stariana, a starfish, as they fight such denizens of the deep as the Catfishburglar, Chowderhead, and the Brain Sturgeon. 

Crime doesn’t pay in Caper Cove with Officer Clawsome and his partner, Stariana, on the case. Just ask the notorious Catburglarfish—she’ll confirm. But when the beloved bakery Kelpy's Kelpcakes goes missing and rumors begin swirling about shark sightings for the first time in a hundred years, the duo is about to find themselves claw-deep in a mystery for the ages.

Will this dynamic duo save the day yet again, or have the citizens of Caper Cove eaten their last Kelpcake…for good?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Humor, Middle Grade, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Childrens, Animals

240 pages, Hardcover

Published January 3, 2023

Reviews

[Aimee Ardonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute! Reminds me of Spongebob a bit, so it would definitely be of interest to Spongebob fans :)

[Stephanie Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute graphic novel about a crime fighting lobster Clawsome and his partner Starina a starfish and how they go around saving the day and rescuing all the people while causing the most damage as a result. There next case is the disappearance of bakery Kelpys Kelpcakes and the rumors of shark sightings around town the first in a hundred years. They rescue Kelpys Kelpcakes from the stomach of a giant robot shark which is the shark people where sighting around town. This was really cute and fun read and this is very much Dog Man meets Spongebob story.
Thanks to Harper Alley and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

[Amaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how there a some twists in this book. I also love how Officer Clawsome is bigger than most of the other Officers.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the description says this is Dogman meets Spongebob. And if you like them, you will like this. There is a bit of "James Bond-like" elements with a few villains, but overall straight forward and not overly "sophisticated." A talking lobster who is a former wrestler does not lend itself to much seriousness, but would be good for reluctant readers and the illustrations can be fun.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird.

[Kane Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Son loved it. I have read it 13 times.

[Laney Noska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this!! It was funny and entertaining and perfect for older elementary grades and middle school! Highly recommend!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giarrusso's illustrations are always delightful and funny and it seems like everything he illustrates somehow ends up feeling a little bit like it was also written by him. I loved the starfish-as-a-badge-and-also-a-sidekick shtick. It never got old. I think my only issue was that the cartoon physics (as in literally anything goes) were a bit to much for me after a while. But that's not really the book's fault. I'm confident it will be popular with its intended audience and will definitely be buying it for my kids comics collection.

[Alida McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy. Anytime I get kids books sent to me they go into the classroom. This is what my kids had to say: My students like this book a lot. Its about a crime fighting lobster. It is a fun adventure. My 2nd graders have reread this book multiple times. It's almost like "reading an episode of spongebob". This is one of my classes favorite books.

My Review: I love the bright illustartions. It's an easy to read, fun and quick book. I think it's super cute but more importantly my kids LOVE it!

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

SpongeBob fans will LOVE this tale of crime and kelpcakes set under the sea. There's action, adventure, and even wrasslin' as a law-abiding lobster and his faithful star battle villains both organic and metallic. If you're looking for a hefty dose of frenetic silliness, call a cop . . . the LOBSTER COP, that is.

[Jennifer Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Officer Clawsome is sure to be a hit with the elementary crowd. Author and illustrator Brian "Smitty" Smith and Chris Giarrusso have created hilarious characters who find themselves in hair-raising action sequences with the goal of saving Kelpy's Bakery for their beloved town. Full of puns, swagger, and balanced by his starry-eyed sidekick Stariana, Officer Clawsome truly does blend Dog Man and Spongebob. A fun read!

[Chrissy Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a silly graphic novel about Officer Clawsome (a lobster) and Starianna (a starfish). In this story, besides fighting the bad guys, they pair must find out what happened to the very popular, Kelpy Kelpcakes. This is a silly graphic novel, full of puns and jokes. I can see that this will be a graphic novel that kids are going to enjoy!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
Middle grade readers will appreciate the absurd humor. Smith takes us under the sea to meet the Dog Man of the underwater world. Clawsome with his partner Stariana have their own way of doing police work - often with explosive results. The detailed illustrations bring the scenes to life so readers feel they are swimming along too.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book on a whim at my local Kmart cause the very first page cracked me up! As a 23yr old I was pleasantly surprised at how funny this was! Such an enjoyable read that I will keep to read to my future kids in the most animated so they can have maximum laughs! So looking forward to the second one.

[Ava F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this graphic novel about Officer Clawsome and his partner Stariana a starfish who need to save kelpy’s kelpcakes (which look like donuts) because a shark ate the whole building! Well according to a goldfish with a 10 second memory. Can it be true though when a shark hasn’t been seen in over 100 years! Love all the colorful illustrations and yes it’s similar to SpongeBob which is really fun

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really cute! I loved the banter between everyone throughout the book. If you a fan of puns then this book is totally for you! This would be great for middle grade readers and I think would make a fantastic addition to school and personal libraries.

[Ashlin Edmisten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Officer Clawsome and his partner Stariana work hard to keep Caper Cove safe from criminals. When their favorite bakery goes missing, they are sent on a mission to find the kelpcakes shop and solve the mystery of its disappearance. Along the way, they run into criminals of all sorts and shenanigans ensue. Here's hoping this dynamic duo can beat the bad guys!

Officer Clawsome: Lobster Cop is a hilarious graphic novel full of adventure. It will be well-liked by fans of Dog Man, Cat Ninja, and other action-packed & laugh-filled middle grade graphic novels. The jokes land well, the action is exciting, the writing is compelling enough to keep you hooked.

I'm excited to read more Officer Clawsome books in the near future!

[Shari]

This graphic novel is definitely aimed at the Dog Man crowd. Set in the ocean, it is full of silly puns, goofy jokes, and wild characters. The plot is all over the place, and the ending fell a little flat for me, but young readers will enjoy its wackiness.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has all the puns you can imagine and then some. Great colourful art full of humour, with a zillion terrible jokes thrown in that my son thought were hilarious. They may be fighting crime and catching bad guys, but this book was just a lot of fun and very tongue in cheek.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the top fun. Like Dog Man but with good art.

Officer Clawsome and Stariana head out to pick up kelp cakes (green donuts) and get caught up in a super villain plot. There are a lot of layers to this, a lot of action and a lot of humor.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

With strong echoes of "Spongebob Squarepants" and "Paw Patrol," this silly adventure has friendships, sea-related puns, and general ridiculousness. Give to fans of "Pizza and Taco," as I am not the intended audience.

[Shaun M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this felt a lot like watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. The art is vibrant, the story is action packed, and funny and the plot races along. It's the story of a lobster cop who used to be a professional wrestler. His partner is a starfish. What else do you need to know?

[Molly Cormier · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 because at the end when he saved the world, he got arrested for not getting his boss cupcakes. That made me sad. I liked the fighting with the villains. I like the lobster cop his name is Clawsome. - Theo

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley for the e-arc of this book! This was a lot of fun! Silly endearing characters, lots of explosions and plenty of food puns! Kids are going to really enjoy this graphic novel!

[Mojoswork · Rating 5 out of 5]

A madcap all ages graphic novel adjacent to Spongebob Squarepants in tone and style. If you're going to borrow and steal, borrow and steal from the best. Lots of fun.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun new series with colorful art, tongue-in-cheek humor, and plenty of action sure to please Dogman fans.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

utterly hilarious

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Major complaint is there aren’t chapters or pauses for young readers. While I read it in a sitting, there could be many who need to break and there just didn’t seem to be those page breaks.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Dogman will enjoy this new series. Lots of puns.