Review: The Bawk-Ness Monster

By Sara Goetter and Natalie Riess

New York: First Second, 2023. Comics. 205 pages.

The Bawk-Ness Monster is the kickoff to a new graphic novel series called Cryptid Kids that follows three children on a quest to find Bessie (as she's lovingly called) a hybrid chicken/sea serpent creature that lives in nearby Lake Bockamixon. Penny, our main heroine, was rescued by Bessie after she fell into the lake years earlier. Now, with an imminent move Penny wants to see Bessie and thank her one last time. Penny is joined by her two friends, Luc, an overly prepared skeptic, and K, a budding cryptozoologist. What starts as a simple mission soon evolves into something more when they are mistakenly captured alongside Bessie and taken to the underwater lair of a nefarious businesswoman named Alvida Scales. Not only has the wicked monster-hunter captured Bessie, but also a whole menagerie of other cryptid creatures. Now, Penny, Luc, and K are determined to free all of the captured critters!

Readers will be charmed by the new hybrid creatures cooked up by the creative minds of Goetter and Riess, such as Bigtaur (who has a surprising knowledge of submersible piloting) and Yeticorn. Their partnership has produced an engaging romp of an adventure filled with brightly saturated illustrations that perfectly capture the fantastical nature of the story and plenty of fun banter between this enterprising trio of friends. If you love realistic fiction with a heavy dose of fantasy this one is for you!

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