Drew and Jot: Dueling Doodles follows Andrew, a kid starting fifth grade who loves to create comics in his sketchbook. At school he meets Foz, another artist, and they decided to team up to create the ultimate story featuring Andrew's hero, Drew, and Foz's villain, Doctor Danger. All is going well until Andrew's younger sister adds her drawings to the mix and the comic and it's characters are changed forever.

Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel. The parallel story lines of the kids and the characters was interesting to read and I appreciated how they interacted in authentic ways. I also really enjoyed how each character had their own distinct drawing style (even the Dad!) and how you could tell which character was drawing each item in the comic. The story within the comic (Drew and Doctor Danger), was a little complicated at times and the background colors could be overwhelming. However, I think this book would be perfect for younger elementary school students who are interested in reading graphic novels or creating their own comics.

Andrew is starting 5th grade at a brand new school and is anxious about making new friends. When he pulls out his sketch book to work on his comic, he makes quick friends with Foz, another boy in class whom enjoys drawing comics. They decide to write a crossover story and things just get crazy from there. With flying dogs, poop monsters, and talking horses... the craziness has just begun!

I really enjoyed this book and I see younger elementary kids going wild for it. The illustrations reminded me of Narwhal and Jelly - bright, vibrant colors that are reminiscent of kid drawings - and it had some amazing vocabulary. This is one I will definitely be recommending to early elementary students.

Another great graphic novel to recommend to my students! I will be on the look out for this one in stores because I know they will love the idea of graphic novel characters being able to leap into other stories! LOVED the ending. It had me giggling and sharing with fellow teachers at work. I know my students will get a kick out of it!

For a younger age group that ADORES comics and graphic novels this one was a miss. The art, yet fun, was overwhelming. The colors overpowered each other and competed to draw your eyes in first. The story was fun and could be easy to follow.

Mom: Graphic novels and comic books are well liked in our family. We’ve read Dogman, Babysitters Club, Amulet, and several others over the past few years. This book looked like something we would enjoy.
MyChild: I loved it! My favorite part was the poop monster.
M: Of course, it was.
MC: What? It’s funny.
M: The story overall was very fun and cute. The idea was great that three kids work together and create one story from their individual ideas. The author did a great job in making it believable that to 10-year-olds and a five-year-old were working on this creation – at some parts it was exactly like the reality of kids getting very excited trying to get everything in the story they want. This did make some parts hard to read, but the reality aspect was definitely there.

Stars: 4
Would We Recommend? Yes

Baltazar delivers a consistent product with every book: a simple plot without strict adherence to a traditional narrative. Events can jump around and include random happenstance. While that doesn't work for a lot of books, he uses it to comedic effect. The book is as much about being silly as anything else. The illustrations are simple and brightly colored. This particular book plays with narrative structure, showing us characters in the act of creating the Drew and Jot story so the reader also gets a little instruction in the elements of a story.

'Drew and Jot: Dueling Doodles' with art and story by Art Baltazar is a fun graphic novel for younger readers.

Andrew loves to draw. His favorite is a superhero named Drew. When he goes to a new school, he meets another kid named Foz who also likes to draw. These two become drawing buddies as their stories weave between sketchbooks. When Drew's little sister gets in to the act, the stories become even crazier.

I really liked this story about how fun creativity can be. The story that Drew, Foz, and Patsy create is illustrated in a style that almost looks like crayons. The art is as fun and outrageous as the story. This would be a fun read for young artists.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from BOOM! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

A really fun graphic novel for kids! This will be great for elementary age fans of Dogman and other early graphic novels.

This was a really great graphic novel. Not only do we get to see a new friendship start, but amazing characters come together for an epic adventure. Heroes get to face a dastardly villain, and along the way they will visit some astounding places. While this story moves along it takes some surprise turns that throw this duo for a loop on what to do next. As this graphic novel comes to a close it looks like the universe is safe from an evil threat, at least for now.

On the first day of 5th grade, Andrew meets Foz. The two quickly become friends when they learn that they both like to draw comics. They decide to do a crossover comic together with their characters. Andrew’s little sister kind of forces her way into the group too. And readers get to follow along on the adventures of their characters, superhero Drew, his dog Jot, the evil Doctor Danger and his monsters, and the Phenomenally Super Awesome Bombastic Fantastic.

This was a fun superhero comic creation story. Both the comics and the real life stories are entertaining. I liked that Andrew and Foz didn’t push away Andrew’s little sister, but instead welcomed her into their creative team. Readers get to debate as to whether the comics kind of have a life of their own or if it is just the kids’ imaginations. Superhero fans, imaginative kids, and reluctant readers should snatch this up. And I was pleasantly surprised by the level of vocabulary introduced. Highly recommended. Definitely purchasing for our Elementary library.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love all of Art Baltazar's stuff, fell in love with Gorilla Gorilla way back in my childhood. I was tickled to receive this new variation in Art's work, published to read! I can see this one going over well with Dogman readers, and though I didn't enjoy it as much as some of his other work, I think it will do well for that market.

Drew And Jot: Dueling Doodles is the first volume of a new series by Art Baltazar. Due out 7th Jan 2020 from Kaboom!, it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

The author / artist has a number of long running comics series and although comparisons with Dav Pilkey's work are inevitable, I submit that Drew and Jot are bringing their own energy to the game and are worthy on their own merits.

I really enjoyed the story-within-the-story trope and it works very well here. I love the spontaneity of the story line. Protagonist 5th grader new kid Andrew meets a friend his first day at school who is also into drawing and making up superhero stories and they trade sketch books to create crossovers featuring each other's superhero/supervillain. The fast moving action and appealing art will certainly prompt readers to pick up their own pencils and paper and start creating (and that's a wonderful thing).

This would make a great selection for school or classroom libraries, as inspiration for a maker group, or a superlative gift for a young artist or reader, possibly bundled with some drawing materials to do their own stories.

Beautifully written and full of energy, this is a great read. I enjoyed it loads. Five stars.

Another hit from Art Baltazar! Feels like Captain Underpants, but different and new. Kids are going to love it and even adults will get a kick out of it! I especially love the different art styles between the kids and their drawings.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for an ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This is a wonderful book. As a mom to a 3 year old boy, I'm eager for him to find his love of reading, but I know this book will be up his ally. The story chronicles a boy who befriends another and both of them are artists. With quirky boy humor and fun illustrations, they're comics take on the story on their own.

Fun illustrations and a cute story for boys and girls.

Fun drawings and great superhero story within a story about kids who bond over their shared passion for drawing.

Fans of Aw Yeah Comics and Dav Pilkey’s “Dog Man” books will love “Drew and Jot: Dueling Doodles”! A celebration of friendship, doodling, and the power of making comics!

Drew begins his fifth-grade year with no friends. Within no time, he has met a kid named Foz. Both Foz and Drew love to draw. The two work together to create a comic strip. I loved this story, and think my children will love it as well. The illustrations were so cute.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my review in any way.

This was such a fun, cute read! It's a great book to give a child near 5th grade age that is going to be new in school. It shows it's not that hard to make friends. The artwork is like crayon doodles which makes the book that much more cute!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When Drew goes to school for his first day of fifth grade he has no friends. He's nervous even though his mom assures him that he will make friends in no time at all. Mom knows best, so of course she's right. Drew meets a kid named Foz and the two become instant friends, bonding over their love of drawings. It turns out both boys love drawing and each have a special character they've created. They decide to do a collaboration comic strip with their characters and all sorts of crazy fun things happen. With cool new creations and an interference from a little sister, the two enjoy the comic adventure of their lives.

This was such an adorable graphic novel. Aimed at middle grade children, the concept was kept simple but very entertaining. It was is much fun to read even for an adult. The pictures in it were bright, colorful and eye catching. I really think my daughter would love this book, especially the monsters. I can't wait until the release of this book so I can grab her a physical copy. Also, I can't wait to read other books by the author. I recommend this to any middle grade kid, or even younger if someone is able to read it to them.

Buzzwords:
Doodles Superheroes New Friends Little Sisters Monsters

This was a cute graphic novel full of adventure. The illustrations were nice because they look almost crayon drawn, which is appropriate because most of the story was "written" by the characters in the story. The part that was not created by an in story character has a different illustration that does not look hand drawn, which is also a nice touch. The story was fun and exciting and I think a lot of kids will like it.