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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Review: Tales of the Dim Knight


Today's post is a review of a hilarious comic-book style action adventure called Tales of the Dim Knight
by Adam and Andrea Graham.

Here's the author's blurb:
Mild-mannered janitor and superhero fanboy Dave Johnson gets all his wishes at once when a symbiotic alien gives him supernatural powers. But what's he to do with them? Follow his zany adventures as he fights crime and corruption while trying to keep his family together and avoid being sued for copyright infringement.



My Take:
From Captain America to TMNT, almost every superhero I've ever heard of is paid some homage in this adventure.
I sat down to read this book one cold day in December and practically couldn't put it down. My family wondered what I was giggling about. It's just because the superhero lover in me was taking out baddies along with Dave.

Dave Johnson is a likeable dim-witted janitor who never grew up. He still packs his lunch in an X-Men lunchbox and plays with action figures with his two boys.
His marriage is on the rocks but he can't see it, so lost is he in his comicbook world.

But when an alien artifact shows up in the secret FBI warehouse he keeps clean, he accidentally bonds with it and becomes the superhero Powerhouse, a squeaky clean
rocket-propelled image of his boyish fantasies.

As Powerhouse, he fights petty criminals, drug lords, even jay-walkers in his efforts to keep the streets clean. But when the criminals fight dirty, Powerhouse is too clean to handle the mess. So he invents a darker superhero, the Emerald Avenger, to fight back.

Dave plays both parts, Powerhouse, and the Emerald Avenger, well. That is, until the criminals hire the Emerald Avenger to eliminate Powerhouse!
How will the hero(es) get out of this jam? Tune in next week...

Oh, wait, it's a book review, not a comic book series...

Ahem. Where was I?

Oh, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through the pages of comic book land, where good vanquishes evil and there are also the timeless subjects of redemption and self-sacrifice.

While this reads like a kids book at the outset, there are a few things in it that some parents might consider, like drug use and human trafficking.
For my part, I would let my teens read this in a heartbeat.
However, if you are concerned you might check out what the authors say about the subject.

Speaking of the authors, I think they did a fantastic job of joining comic book action with a solid Christian message. Here's a picture of them.

All in all, I found Tales of the Dim Knight to be a well-written fast-paced action adventure with a timeless message worth reading.

Click HERE to find out where you can buy it!

I received an electronic copy of this book for the purpose of this review.