Gustav and Henri

October 31, 2022
This hilarious graphic novel series opener by two Australian creators follows anthropomorphic best friends Gustav, a self-confident pig, and practical Henrietta, who resembles a golden retriever, across three episodic tales. In the opening romp, “Gustav, Space Pig,” the porcine youth overenthusiastically demonstrates his badminton skills, landing a shuttlecock on the moon. Determined to retrieve his lost object, Gustav designs a swine-shaped spaceship, which Henri “worked all night” to build. The next morning, the two blast off into outer space and, upon arriving on the moon, encounter a crab—the self-named “King of the Moon”—who has already claimed the misplaced shuttlecock as his own. The crab agrees to return the item, but only if Gustav and Henri can complete four impossible challenges. Thomas renders the animalian duo’s shenanigans in heavily lined grayscale illustrations, accented with electric blue hues. Matthews’s comical onomatopoeic text—Gustav and Henri “BOING!” across the moon—accompanies rounded panels and varied fanciful landscapes. Stereotypical depictions of female characters in supporting roles occasionally dampen the narrative’s overarching playfulness, but this fast-paced jaunt promises enjoyably absurd adventures in subsequent volumes. Ages 7–10.