Apocalypse Taco

March 25, 2019
An entertaining blend of humor and horror drives this whirlwind tale of science gone awry. When middle school–aged twins Axl and Ivan set out with high schooler Sid on a 1:30 a.m. food run for the crew of a high school production of Brigadoon, things go very wrong. The provisions that the kids secure from a mysterious Taco Bear restaurant abruptly morph into strange tentacled beasts that attack them. After joining forces with a many-limbed grad student, the kids embark on a journey into a gooey alternate world created by a mad scientist’s legions of bioengineered squid-bees. The narrative isn’t always clear: the bewildering opening act is followed by an info dump midsection that delivers exposition via nested explanatory stories. Still, the plot’s silliness balances each scenario’s underlying terror, and artwork by Hale (the Hazardous Tales series) helps maintain this equilibrium with myriad funny details—including a cargo kilt–wearing, snow scraper–wielding protagonist—and the juxtaposition of bare suburban settings against otherworldly landscapes filled with writhing, distorted creatures. Weird, freaky fun. Ages 8–12.

March 1, 2019

Gr 3-7-On a late-night food run for their mother's high school theater group, middle schoolers Axl and Ivan, accompanied by high schooler Sid, grab Mexican fast food from a disturbing drive-through and find that they're in a new dimension. Mysterious creatures have created copies of everything, but with a bizarre twist. Tacos with tentacles and goopy, sentient buildings and cars are out to get our heroes, who must use all their cunning (and a windshield scraper) to save the world and avoid being copied themselves. The characters are expressive, with the same mix of slapstick and swagger found in Hale's other popular graphic novels. The monsters are unsettling-exaggerated and drawn with a fluid, boneless grace that maximizes the creep factor and wonderfully evokes peril. Creatively positioned and sized panels move the action along at breakneck speed. Rendered in grayscale with burnt orange accents, the illustrations are inventive and intricate. The lack of a clear ending will frustrate some but leave most readers clamoring for more. VERDICT Hale has done it again-another graphic novel that offers a terrific blend of the eerie and the humorous that will captivate new readers and delight dedicated fans.-Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2019
While on a food run, 11-year-old twins Axl and Ivan find themselves in an apocalyptic world run by hives of replicator bees.When their mother sends them on a post-midnight snack run to feed the hungry middle school theater crew preparing for the next day's dress rehearsal of Brigadoon, Axl and Ivan aren't too excited to go to McDonald's, as they believe it is not Scottish enough. However, they depart from the theme even further when they are forced to settle for tacos since the Taco Bear drive-thru is the only place they find open. Soon, they realize the tacos are more alive than they hoped and find themselves in a reality with the same consistency as a tub of nacho cheese. When they encounter Wendy, a library school student who initially has the form of a tangled mass of arms, they learn that in an attempt to solve world hunger, one of her bioengineer roommates created replicator bees that have made the world their hive, from which the gang must escape with the help of a windshield scraper. Hale positively revels in the weirdness of his premise. The two-color orange palette he uses adds to the surrealistic feeling of the illustrations, the cheesy ooziness of which could trigger any trypophobic. Axl and Ivan have dark skin, and Wendy presents Asian.A well-balanced mix of sci-fi, horror, and humor. (Graphic science fiction. 10-14)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 15, 2019
Grades 4-7 In a similar vein to his One Trick Pony (2017), Hale brings his unique brand of grotesque, dizzyingly intricate art to another story of potentially world-ending otherworldly creatures. This time, the plot involves tacos, bees, and a biomatter copier invented by a maniacal grad student. Sid, Ivan, and Axl are picking up a snack for an all-night set-building crew at the high school when Sid's truck starts sinking into the drive-through pavement, and their boxes of tacos start sprouting insectlike, aggressive legs. Then they find they're not in their town at all but a strangely soft and sticky replica that seems intent on consuming them. The plot doesn't quite hold up under close scrutiny, and the ultimate solution is a bit of whimper, but Hale's captivating artwork?composed of shattering, goopy fractals of arms, tentacles, and teeth that slither and plop in organic, visceral motion?manages to carry the narrative forward. Perfect for fans of weird fiction, with a visual style that will appeal to fans of horror comics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)