The Unpetables

by Dennis Messner

Overview

These two best friends have had ENOUGH of being petted! It’s a non-stop zany middle-grade adventure as they bust out of the petting zoo and hit the road to find their destiny.

Pigmund and Lizárdo are free! They recently "declared independence" from their petting zoo.... and now this pot-bellied pig and iguana are out to SEE THE WORLD.

They are: THE UNPETABLES — and they're available for temporary work as “freelance pets.” But no matter what gigs the Unpetables may get, they have one very big rule: NO MORE PETTING!

Will Pigmund and Lizárdo find the independence they’re looking for? Or will Maintenance Man Kenny finally catch up with them and take them back to Uncle Milo’s All-Natural Petting Zoo?

Hitch a ride on the nearest chicken and pick up this laugh-a-minute graphic novel, full of rambunctious action and irresistible creativity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603095235
Publisher:	IDW Publishing
Publication date:	06/20/2023
Pages:	88
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.29(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dennis Messner grew up in rural Missouri, but spent most of his time indoors, where it was easier to draw characters and make up stories. He’s worked as an ice cream truck driver, a vacuum cleaner salesman, a hospital janitor, a concert grip, a car wash attendant, a telemarketer, a bricklayer, a caterer, and a video production artist. Later, as a graphic designer, Dennis entered a Nickelodeon storyboard competition he saw in a magazine, which resulted in him creating an animated TV pilot. Since then, Dennis has created, written, and storyboarded many other animated projects for Disney, Cartoon Network, DreamWorks, and Nickelodeon, as well as illustrated a series of children’s books. Dennis lives in Los Angeles with his wife — also a transplant, but from Japan. Together, they enjoy traveling, reading, and drinking coffee.

Editorial Reviews

"Pigmund and Lizárdo are flippin' awesome! They may be unpetable, but they're also UNSTOPPABLE! Bring on the next adventure!" — Rob Harrell, author of Wink, Batpig, Life of Zarf, and Monster on the Hill

“Take a wild ride with Dennis Messner’s The Unpetables. It’s the funniest adventure that a runaway pig and a lizard ever had. It’s got laughs, action, thrills, heart, and a werewolf hamster named Mr. Buttercups.” — Kaz, SpongeBob SquarePants writer, and creator of the comic strip Underworld

"Hog wild hilarity." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-04-12
A potbellied pig and an iguana ditch their petting zoo home for freedom in this webcomic-turned–graphic novel.

The escape plan starts with chaos: A miniature train crashes through the zoo’s gate. Next, Pigmund Isidore Pigmund (a pig) and Lizárdo Van Buren Van Halen (an iguana, allegedly) ride off on getaway chickens as the zoo’s maintenance man chases after them. In the outside world, a pampered Chihuahua inspires the runaways to seek out “SWEET PET PERKS.” The duo then declare themselves “FREELANCE PETS,” meaning they “can walk away from their dumb pet job ANY TIME THEY WANT.” After creating business cards on the backs of pizza boxes, they go door to door on a “Finding Business Quest.” Eventually they find their ideal customer—on their 74th try. That is, until a hamster warns that things might not be what they seem. This pseudo-autobiographical comic (told from fictional pig to real-life human Messner) is divided into five “adventures.” Messner’s black-and-white illustrations, often borderless, give a DIY comics feel. The style fits well with Pigmund’s over-the-top, self-referential first-person narration. Circuitous storytelling situates Pigmund as a delightfully unreliable narrator who even occasionally teases withheld details. All human characters’ skin is the white of the paper.

Hog wild hilarity. (Graphic fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews