The Kid Firechief

by Steven Weissman, Steven Weissman

Meet Olaf Oedwards, the youngest and bestest firechief ever!!! Even though he's just a poor orphaned boy, it's a well-known fact that there's no greater firefighter than Olaf Oedwards, a.k.a. "Kid Firechief"! And if you've ever wondered what would hapen if the greatest firechief of all-time fought one of the greatest fires of all-time, you'll find the answer here in this charming graphic novel for children of all ages. Join Olaf and his assistant chief (and guardian) Smoky Joe, as they put out fires all over the city and forests of Milltown and as far as... Ancient Rome?!? This humorous adventure romp features a cast of characters that will delight children of all ages, including the infant rappers D.J. Diaper and M.C. Nu-Born ("This li'l piggy kept it real/while this li'l piggy was chillin'/This li'l piggy said 'Talk to the hand'/while this li'l piggy was illin'"), local school reporter "Nosy" Rosie Cheeks, Olaf's arch-nemesis Hotfoot, and Olaf's forest ranger cousin, Oella Oedwards! Weissman's charming and respectful approach to his child characters has been compared to the work of Charles M. Schulz and Little Lulu 's John Stanley. He mixes an absurdist sense of humor with very human emotion to create a deceptively simple and very charming book. Told in fiery orange two-toned effect!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2004

About the author

Steven Knight Weissman (born June 4, 1968, in California) is an alternative cartoonist.
Weissman was the recipient of the Harvey Kurtzman Award for Best New Talent in 1998 and he is best known for his offbeat and bizarre explorations of childhood friendships. He is the author of a number of books, including Barack Hussein Obama (2012), Butter and Blood (2015) and the series of graphic novels Yikes! (1999-2008). His work has been published by Fantagraphics, Retrofit Comics, Nickelodeon, Vice, Mad Magazine and more.
Weissman lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and son.

Reviews

[Johnny]

A blast to read. Has text and a storyline that will appeal (from different angles) to all ages. Drawing will probably be more appealing to adults—lacks a clarity and depends on some visual 'codes' that would make it a little bit more visually challenging/off-putting for younger kids. Has a nice Twin Cities feel to it.

[nicole p]

The bear in this books is F*ing hilarious.

[Inez Parra]

My favorite comic dude by far. His art is so ridiculously cute it'll make you squeal with joy and the stories are timeless. This is one of those things I'll be happily reading to my baby!