My Boyfriend is a Monster 1: I Love him to Pieces

By: Evonne Tsang
Illustrated by: Ganina Gorrissen
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Publication Date: April 2011
ISBN: 978-0761370796
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: May 2011

Dicey Bell bombed into the lab and shouted, “Jack Chen, you’re the father of my baby.” Yeah, right, but nonetheless her announcement made him drop his beaker. Dicey had chosen him to be her baby’s father for the “egg for health ed project,” but neither one of them was exactly thrilled at the thought of working with the other. He was the biggest science geek at St. Petersburg High and she was a baseball jock for the Pelicans. Later Dicey needed him to babysit the egg because she had a big game coming up with Gulfport High and it was the team’s last chance to cream them during the season. Jack was surprised to discover that Dicey was actually in the honor society, because jocks were like ... dumb weren’t they? He was letting himself in for a bit more than he thought when she came over to his house to work on their report.

No getting around it, Dicey was hot and Jack fell for her like a ton of bricks, but how could he get her to notice him? Everyone knew that “jocks and nerds are natural enemies,” but no doubt they had the right chemistry. Jack finally got the guts to ask her out and they decided to cut school for their first date. They were on a bus heading to Demens Landing, but it seemed strange that police cars were whizzing by and sirens could be heard all over town. When they arrived at the landing, Jack moved away from Dicey so he could talk to his father, scientist Dr. Chen. He put the phone down and grasped either side of his head in uncertainly. The outbreak had begun . . . a Zombie fungus would destroy them all. Jack told Dicey the “disease destroys higher brain functions” and “makes people attack each other.” Would they be able to escape St. Petersburg before they were struck down by the fungus or would their relationship end before it ever began?

This high action, intensely dramatic tale of the Zombie Apocalypse will rivet the young reader. This is a tale of young love between a seemingly disparate couple, but they soon discover that a jock and a nerd really can gel with one another. This graphic novel is presented in the typical black-and-white high action serialized format. The initial cells in the story are neat, tidy, and presented in typical comic book fashion, but the later ones become highly dramatic and are spectacularly explosive. The apocalyptic scenery is quite impressive and the reluctant reader and Zombie/monster lover will appreciate the wildly animated pages. Stereotypical behaviors are tossed out the window and we see Jack and Dicey as well rounded, appealing individuals, even if their first date “brought on the Zombie Apocalypse”.

Quill says: This wild and weird apocalyptic tale of love, friendship, monsters, cordyceps, and Zombies is sure to please the reader who likes tales a bit on the weird and wild side!