Lio: There's a Monster in My Socks

by Mark Tatulli

Overview

For the first time, the creepy, crawly, awesome world of Lio in a kid-targeted book.

The world of Lio is filled with the extraordinary—monsters under the bed, wild reptile pets, robot inventions, weird science—but it’s all commonplace for this most uncommon young man. Mark Tatulli renders this pantomime strip in pen-and-ink style, giving the artwork a dark, spidery feel to match the strip’s dark humor. Lio explores the twisted realm of a kid’s imagination—at once bizarre, creepy, and fun. Now, in this collection edited specially for kids, Lio is available to his most dedicated fans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449425593
Publisher:	Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	10/02/2012
Series:	Amp! Comics for Kids Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	33 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

 Mark Tatulli, who was first known for his Heart of the City comic strip, took on Lio as an outlet for his dark and twisted humor. In addition to his cartooning experience, Tatulli is also an accomplished filmmaker and animator, and is the recipient of three Emmy awards for his television work. Mark currently resides in New Jersey with his wife, son, and two daughters. His children are the true joy of his life and the inspiration for much of his comic artwork.

Online:

gocomics.com/lio

Editorial Reviews

Lio is a remarkable boy who hangs out with aliens, makes his own robots, and loves the morbid and warped side of life. This book is not a single story, but a collection of short comic strips, and while it’s technically aimed for middle-grade readers, some of its dark sense of humor and twisted jokes might go over better with adults than kids. Literal-minded readers might not get all the supernatural angles and ironic, unrealistic stories, but kids can appreciate the school-age humor and that Lio is so much smarter than the grownups around him—even if the grownups don’t realize it. Very few words are spoken, or needed, in the more than 200 pages, with nearly everything is conveyed excellently through art. Tatulli has a knack for the unexpected, the surreal, and the weird, and he plays these for all they’re worth: Lio sells shrunken heads instead of lemonade, he travels through time, he meets monsters; put together it makes for a very engaging character. There are some similarities between this strip and Calvin and Hobbes, but Tatulli’s stories are much more outrageous. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 3–6—Here are a few tips for surviving life with Lio: if there's a KEEP OUT sign on his door, don't try to vacuum in there. You maybe should just concede the science fair to him. And for goodness sake, don't give him a turn at show-and-tell. His decidedly unorthodox (and frequently disproportionate) responses to familiar school-age situations and pursuits are depicted in a scratchy black-and-white style with a distinct Gahan Wilson flavor. When flying kites with the other kids, Lio brings a dragon. When it's time to play football, Lio brews a Mr. Hyde potion that turns him into the ultimate linebacker. Some strips take a little effort to decode, which makes their punch line that much funnier. Despite hearty helpings of grotesque slapstick violence, Lio is a goodhearted character with an active sense of justice, frequently victimizing bullies, sticking up for other kids, and championing the voiceless-such as prey animals, aliens, and monsters. Like Big Nate, Lio lives with his patient, long-suffering schlub of a dad. Overjoyed at breakfast time to find a giant egg in the kitchen, he ends up with an alien stuck to his face. He steals his garbage can to make a robot, the steaks from the fridge to feed the monsters under the floor, and tests his potions out on poor old dad. Lio's near-wordless humor will appeal to a wide variety of kids-smart kids, kids who think they are weird, pranksters, and kids who sometimes get in trouble.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

School Library Journal