This graphic novel was a great start to a series and I will definitely keep reading the future novels.


thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for a honest review

This series has a lot of potential. It's about a group of kids who fight monsters in Central Park. When America was colonized, immigrants dumped all the monsters from Europe here in America where Central Park became their prison. Now the kids of certain families patrol Central Park to keep New Yorkers safe. There was too much exposition in places that felt forced but overall, it was fun. The art was very good too. It had a bit of an Oliver Coipel feel to it.

Nice artwork and interesting premise. However, the story starts with flashbacks within flashback full of bad things that happened to this poor kid. Ugh. What kept me going was what happened to his sister. The book was dark and heavy in contrast to the lollipop kids. I guess that is ironic and edgy, but it didn't work for me.

Lollipop Kids Vol. 1 by Adam Glass, 114 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL
Aftershock Comics, 2019. $15.
Language: PG13 (22 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When his sister doesn’t come home on the eve of her birthday, Nick sets out to find her. They haven’t been tight since they were little, but he never imagined that Mia would be hiding so much from him about her life and their shared heritage with the Lollipop Kids. As monsters emerge from Central Park, Nick has to make a choice: is he taking up the responsibility of a Lollipop Kid or not?
The story is exciting and fast paced, and I love the beautiful illustrations that accompany the words. Honestly, I was hooked and ready to love this story from the introduction -- before anything even got started. Knowing how this story came to be made the story and the little details better for me than if I had jumped into joining Nick on his journey. I think that Mia’s perspective on Nick’s difficulties is an attitude that we all need to adopt and cultivate.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Nick is 14 and has dyslexia. His older sister Mia, who is almost 18, didn’t come home last night and she wasn’t at school today. Concerned, Nick looks for her in Central Park where she usually hangs out with her friends but she’s not there either.

He does find the Big Bad Wolf though. Or perhaps I should say the Big Bad Wolf finds him.

Fortunately for Nick, the Lollipop Kids are there too. They’re a group of kids who have inherited a massive responsibility: to protect the city from the monsters that have been imprisoned within Central Park. It turns out that Nick is also a Lollipop Kid.

I loved the concept and I adored that the story was co-created by a father and son. Unfortunately, while this graphic novel had potential, it ultimately fell flat for me.

I didn’t connect with any of the characters and even though I’ve just finished reading, I only remember a couple of their names. Because the artwork was so dark most of the time I didn’t get much of a sense of anyone’s emotions.

During this Volume you learn some of the history of the Lollipop Kids, including how they managed to get that name, in a series of info dumps. There are some twists along the way, including a cliffhanger ending, but I don’t think I’ll be reading Volume 2.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Aftershock Comics and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel. I’m rounding up from 2.5 stars.

The artwork of this volume was absolutely beautiful! It was an amazing twist on Wizard of Oz’s lollipop kids and I was fully invested the entire way through the book. I feel like this graphic novel would be loved by people who loved I hate fairyland and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it yet! I am very impressed by this author and can’t wait for volume 2!

The Lollipop Kids Vol. 1: Things That Go Bump in the Night is a fun take on kids being the guardians against the monsters. Because naturally, kids are the best at spotting them. In this case, only kids of a certain lineage seem to be able to see and thus stop the monsters. But it is still a fun concept.
This graphic novel is great if you go into it expecting nothing more than a fun read. It’s lighthearted, on the whole, though it does have an undertone of a serious message as well (the importance of doing what’s right, friendship, and family).

The Lollipop Kids Vol. 1: Things That Go Bump in the Night was very fun and dare I say, cute? Okay, maybe that word doesn’t apply perfectly here, but I’m sure you get my meaning. Here we have a group of children fighting monsters and the like.
Naturally, this series is a lot less graphic than it could be. Though it does hint heavily at the fact that kids have lost their lives in action, this was never shown (thankfully). Because it wasn’t as intense as the fighting monsters trope could have allowed for, it’s perfect for kids and adults alike.
The Lollipop Kids valiantly guard against all monsters and evil – rightup until they turn eighteen years old. It’s the result of a curse, of a curse, but it also gives an excuse for why there are no adults helping with the problem.
I’m a bit conflicted about the lore for the lollipop kids, truth be told. On the one hand, I think it’s fun and clever. On the other hand, I think that having it be a lineage thing (but focused only on children) might have been a little much. I almost think I would have liked it better had it been that kids with the right temperament or skillsets were targeted. But that’s my personal preference.
They were very clever in the way they introduced the plot to the readers. They used a kid with the potential to be a lollipop kid as the main perspective. Thus when he became initiated, we got to learn alongside him. Simple yet effective.
I love that they added some family drama and dynamics to this tale. Sure, it may have been slightly heavy handed at times, but on the whole I actually do think it enhanced the complexity of the plot being told. Plus, it gave us more of a reason to become emotionally invested.
On the whole this graphic novel was a blast to read, as well as being relatively quick to get through (unsurprisingly). I don’t know if a second volume is planned for the series or not. It felt like it could go either way, towards the end. I suppose only time (and sales numbers) will tell.

Even though this graphical novel has plenty of elements from other well known I still found it to be really interesting and was engaged in the story till the last page. The art style and coloring, in my opinion, is well done.
The story behind this creation was interesting and shines more light on such things as dyslexia.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!
The Lollipop Kids is a graphic novel about monster hunters in Central Park.

I enjoyed the book, and will be reading the next volumes as well.

Lollipop Kids Vol. 1: Things That Go Bump In the Night' by Adam and Aidan Glass with art by Diego Yapur is a story of monster hunters in Central Park.

When immigrants came to America, they also brought the monsters from their home countries. A group of children fighters formed to fight them. That legacy was passed from generation to generation. When the children turn 18, they forget about their fight. Now Nick finds out he is part of this legacy, but first he has to be convinced that this whole thing is real.

I like the premise. I like the art a lot. The first issue has a lot of monologue about the main character and I wish the story had launched a bit faster with it's pacing.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Aftershock Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

"The Lollipop Kids, Vol. 1" is a lot of fun. It works well as a graphic novel with a strong cast of characters throughout.

Unfortunately, the majority of the images did not come through in this download. What I found, as a result of what did download properly, was frenetic and energetic writing. Now, I want to read more.

3.5 stars.

The story was interesting. I liked that the monsters were immigrated and that the bloodline of the people who brought them over are the ones who keeps them locked up. The concept of children being the protectors because of a curse that lets the Lollipop Kids forget everything about the monsters once they become 18 years old was great.

The only thing I hated about the story was how it was info dumpy and it acknowledges this fact but doesn't bother to change. I don't like it when a graphic novel does more telling rather than showing. I can see the actions of the characters, there was no need to mention their every action.

As for the artstyle, it was great though I don't like it when artists add so much details to facial expressions that they look creepy or weird instead. Sometimes the facial expressions lack details and they look just as bad. Besides that, the backgrounds of the whole novel was amazing especially the coloring.

As for the characters, they were somewhat cliche but most were lovable to me. I like that Nick uses his dyslexia to his advantage and never really see it as something bad. And most of all, I love the sibling relationship between him and his older sister.

Overall, the direction of where the story is going seems interesting so far but I'm a bit hesitant to continue because of the info dump. I guess I'll give it a chance when it comes out.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

This is an excellent YA comic. It stared off a bit slow and info dump-y but quickly picked up speed. I loved the world building and rules of the Lollipop Kid universe and especially appreciated the dyslexia of the main character/his way of seeing the world being treated as an asset to the team. Not a perfect book by any means but a lot of fun and well tailored to its teen audience. Recommended!

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

I really loved the introduction to this collection of comics. Adam Glass explains where he came up with the idea for the story line, which is primarily due to an imaginative way to help his young son cope with dyslexia but also a way for him to share his experiences growing up in NYC.
The story starts with Nick searching for his older sister, Mia. What he didn’t expect was to discover that he was a part of a secret society that goes back generations defending humanity from monsters living in Central Park.
I really enjoyed this. It was a super fun and quick read, filled with magic and fantastical retellings. I also really enjoyed all of the bits of information and history about New York scattered throughout the scenes. The art style was great. I loved the colors, monsters, and abstract items; however, I felt like there could have been some improvements on the human art. I really enjoyed the characters in this. Nick was a great main character. I also loved Expo, the gremlin.
There were a lot of cheesy bits, but overall I’m excited to continue on and see what happens next. The ending of issue five really left me wanting more, and I hope that the creators can continue on with the story line. Pleasantly surprised by this!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2880778365