All in all, this was a fantastic comic book to read. I had so much fun going through the pages of this book and each of the individual stories involving Billy and his pet-friend duck, Barrace. I think the energy was great; it has a lot of humor in the narrative mixed in pages of deathly, intense adventure. The levels of action, mystery and, intrigue following Billy and Barrace on the adventures they get into make it hard to put this book down.

I mean the League and a mysterious "entity" following them around?? There is so much to love and enjoy about this book; it leaves you wanting to know more about Billy's family and his parent's disappearance. And the legacy they've created for him to be able to go off on these adventures.

I found this book also reminded me of an enjoyable, lengthy story suitable for all ages in this easily digestible contrast similar to that of Steven Universe. You are rooting for Billy to figure out the truth to all his unanswered questions when visiting these seemingly lost cities. But as a reader, you are also excited to see what happens next. Billy's character is wholesome, optimistic, glass-half-full kind of personality. What's not to love? The tone for the book set it up to be an interesting first volume of a series and standalone anthology.

'Billy Johnson and His Duck Are Explorers' by Mathew New is a graphic novel about having a dream and a lot of dumb luck. And a telescoping sword doesn't hurt either.

Billy Johnson may be only a janitor at the Explorers League, but he wants to be a full member like his missing parents were. With an explorers map and his trusty duck friend Barrace (who is also a professor of linguistics), they set out to find lost cities and mysterious creatures.

Billy is in way over his head, but his total belief in himself makes this comic a lot of fun. The situations they get in are so ludicrously deadly, too. It made me laugh quite a few times. The art is lots of fun too. Pick this up for a young reader you know, then borrow it for a read.

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

As you might expect based solely on the title, this is kind of a silly book. But it's silly in the good way. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Instead, New is having fun with the plot. The adventures go to ridiculous extremes but are never truly dangerous. Billy and the duck encounter ghosts, monsters, magic, and shadowy figures. And by pushing these ideas well past the sensible point, we primarily humor with just a hint of heart behind it. There are suggestions of a larger plot at play: references to Billy's parents and a hooded villain. For the most part, though, each adventure is a complete story on it's own and can be enjoyed in isolation. The cartoon style adds to the lighthearted approach. A fun romp that can be appreciated even with repeat readings.

Billy Johnson and his BFF, a talking duck with a PHD, are explorers! Just like what it says on the tin. Billy just wants to be in the league of explorers, and be an amazing explorer like his late parents. Only every time he goes on an adventure, calamity strikes and erases all the evidence of his amazing discoveries. Plus, all his photos are from knee-height because his field photographer is, well, a duck. A funny and compulsively readable middle grade graphic novel - it appears to be the first in a series, and I definitely look forward to future books!

A boy and a talking duck going on adventures? Yes please! This is an incredibly fun all-ages comic that has plenty of adventure, danger, and fun. The graphic novel collects four stories that can be read on their own but also continue on a much larger plot, that brews in the background, opening up the potential for more stories later down the line.

New's art, a combination of even lines and solid colours, matches the story's tone well. It's bright, but not garish.
There is a strong sense of storytelling with his art, with the expressive characters telling volumes and sequences that do not rely on dialogue.

Kids and adults will love Billy Johnson And His Duck Are Explorers for its bright art, sense of adventure, and depth of characters.

Billy Johnson And His Duck Are Explorers by Mathew New is a children's graphic novel that is currently scheduled for release on August 1 2020. Billy Johnson, the son of two world-famous explorers (who mysteriously disappeared eight years ago) has big dreams. The teenager may be a part-time janitor now, but exploring is in his blood. He just needs one big discovery to prove to the Explorers League that he’s worthy of the rank of Ace Explorer. Luckily, Billy has an ally in his best friend, Barrace. Not only is Barrace a college professor of linguistics, but he’s also a duck! Together, these boon companions brave hidden jungle kingdoms, haunted tombs, deadly deserts, and treacherous mythological trials to uncover the mysteries of the world. But will they discover that the biggest mystery of all may be following them every step of the way?

Billy Johnson And His Duck Are Explorers is a fun and accessible for some of the youngest graphic novel readers. I felt like the story was fast and fun, with some neat twists and moments but that it never got too intense or deep. The colors and artwork were bold and bright with a good sense of movement to help keep everything moving forward. The art did seem a little childish to me, but considering the target audience I do not think it will be an issue for most. The action and conversations came in small, digestible pieces. Enough to keep young readers interested and engaged without being too much all at once and allowing for breaks if needed. I think the book was exactly what it was intended to be, a fun and fast moving graphic novel for young readers, but I rather felt that it could have done that and still been even more. While it sometimes seems like it wants the Adventure Time crowd, and sometimes the motion of the art feels like it, it does not match the smooth and more in depth humor that fans of that will want. It is fun, and it can entertain, but I do not think it reached its full potential.

Billy Johnson And His Duck Are Explorers is a cute graphic novel that is vaguely reminiscent of Adventure Time the will appeal to young readers.

Billy Johnson and His Duck are Explorers was such a fun graphic novel to read.

Billy, a janitor and the son of former explorers, goes on adventures with his duck friend and sidekick, Barrace, who also happens to be archaeology professor. With each adventure, Billy tries to prove that he is a real explorer while Barrace tags along as they find both adventure AND trouble along the way. This was a silly and fun book about following your dreams, even if you make some mistakes along the way. The bright, engaging illustrations complement the story.

Fans of Adventure Time and graphic novels in general will enjoy this for sure! I know my fourth graders are going to enjoy this one!

If Indiana Jones or Lara Croft was inept and had a talking duck for a best friend, you would have Billy Johnson. A silly and fun book about following your dreams, even if you are not particularly good at it. Bright, engaging artwork complements the clever story line. Leaves the reader wanting more.

Nice simple, cartoon style adventures of a boy janitor who wants to be an explorer and his companion, a duck who is a professor. Could use a little more back story on the boy's parents. Some of the page transitions are a bit sudden with color and location changes. Cliffhanger ending leaves you curious about the next book.

What a fun graphic novel ! My son (age 8) and I enjoyed reading it together! Great story full of wonderful illustrations. Would love to see more works from this author.

I quite liked this!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book!

At first when I saw the cover it gave me huge flashbacks to a game I really enjoyed! It's called adventure pals, so a whole train of nostalgia hit me and I just had to request this at the publisher!

I think this book was very unique. Of course the general story wasn't with a main character going on an adventure with his pal, or sidekick but you know the in depth of it all was very good!
I loved the duck, he added so much to the stories in my opinion.
You start off being thrown into the book. You are in the middle of a scenario you didn't know much about, but I loved that because it grabbed my attention right away and it got super fun from that point on.
Towards the middle point I got a bit bored and found myself wondering what else was going to happen or if it was going to stay that way.
But the ending was quite fun again which was good. Since this is a spoiler free review I won't say much on the ending and the actual events but I did enjoy reading the ending and I thought it was quite fun!

I would recommend this book to others and I would read it again. Aso because the art style reminds me of adventure pals so much haha.

I've been needing something to scratch my Adventure Time itch and Billy and Barrace are the stick! You have a working class adventurer who doesn't have the recognition of his peers but lacks the talents of his parents. But he's loyal and thinks outside of the box. Barrace meanwhile is a brilliant Duck who has his own sense of adventure while being an equally loyal friend. It's a dynamic that goes from place to place which explore their character. And nobody's afraid to get a little weird for the sake of a little fun. It's adventure time my trusty ducks!

Thanks to Capstone and NetGalley for a free ARC in return for my honest review. I had no idea what to expect when I began this comic book and yet for some reason the more I read this, the more I got a kick out of it. Billy Johnson wants to be an archeology explorer like his parents were, So he embarks on different journeys to find lost items, he is accompanied by Barrace who is a talking duck and a university professor. OK, with that setup it seems like this is destined for a low rating, and after the first 40-page comic adventure I was almost ready to give up, but things picked up and I thought the last two adventures were really a lot of fun. Barrace is a great sidekick and the author loads him with great wit and understanding. Illustrations are good, a bit juvenile, but that is his target group and again the duck is super in all things. Billy and the duck solve adventures but he never gets to bring home the lost treasure for one reason or another. Dialogue is rather sparse but it is sufficient and again it fits the comic. By the end of the book I am hoping for another comic adventure of Billy Johnson and his loyal partner Barrace!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! It has just the right amount of words on each page and all the illustrations are beautiful and perfect. I love how the stories in here tie together and work as separate adventures as well as continuations of Billy's quests. I would definitely recommend this to kids of all ages.

Billy is an explorer and adventurer. He desperately wants to be a member of the same explorer society his parents belonged to, and where he is currently a Janitor. With the help of Barrace, a talking duck with a PhD, Billy seeks out adventures that don’t always turn out as they should. Humorous and fun, kids will enjoy the brightly colored panels and the enjoyable story.

Reviewed from Netgalley copy.

This book was so much fun! I honestly thought this book would be another gimmicky kid's book, but it actually has a ton of heart to it. The gimmick of this one is that Billy, the son of explorers, goes on adventures with his duck friend, who also happens to be archaeology professor. Each chapter is a new adventure for the two buds and another chance for Billy to prove he is a real explorer to the Explorers League. Next, queue the shenanigans! This book is marketed as an all ages graphic novel and it truly is. I really enjoyed the humor in this one and thought that this would be a one and done kind of novel. However, the ending sets up for sequel that I desperately need cuz I gotta know the answers to some of these mysteries!

Highly recommend for anyone who is a fan of Adventure Time shenanigans and comics!

“Do you know what it feels like to want something so bad for so long but know that no one thinks you’ll ever be good enough?”

This is a cute comic book. It’s a story of a teenager name “Billy Johnson” and a duck who can talk named “Barrace”. They always go on an adventure together. It’s cute since they both can communicate each other. Their journeys aren’t easy at all. They are complicated for a teenager like him but they did overcome them. Billy Johnson is a brave kid and the weirder and scarier the place is the more adventurous it is to him. Funny but cute.

The first adventure is about finding a hidden monkey kingdom. I did not expect the ending. I thought it will be more lively but that just happened.

The second adventure is about finding the ghost King’s ring inside a tomb. Billy has no fear at all. He finds the situation amusing. The lady that they met seems like an acquaintance, I event thought she was male. The end is interesting. It seems like someone is interested with Billy.

Their next adventure is to find an atlast bear in the desert. Billy found a magic lamp that he first use for food. Then Billy found that thing he found from the Hidden Monkey Kingdom. I’m still not sure what it is but it sure is mysterious.

The next story is about the hero trials. It’s cute when Billy said he wants to be remembered which I think we all do. This adventure is cooler than the preceding one. They are being transported to different places for their trials. They’re fiercer but they overcome them.

The epilogue is a bit sad but positive. I love that Billy has a best friend who is always beside, encouraging him to motivate and inspire. I love that they push forward no matter what other people say.

This story is adorable, inspiring, and adventurous. The adventures are unique and striking.

Conclusion:
If you love comics this is a good read! 😊

It is hard to be great in the shadows of other explorers, especially if you're Billy Johnson. Follow his quest to be accepted into the Explorers League to join the ranks with his parents and be like Ace Explorer, Hal Hardwick. No adventure is without Billy's smart, trustworthy sidekick, Barrace, who also happens to be the only professor who is a duck!
Their adventures take them far away to a jungle to find an ancient civilization, a booby trapped crypt, merely escaping dangers in the desert and through a perilous hero trial complete with a gorgon. Will all these adventures prove that Billy is a great and worthy explorer? The fun, colorful illustrations will have kids rooting for Billy and Barrace through thick and thin.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It is a fun adventure with wit and friendship. There are a lot of funny moments, with nothing that would make it unsuitable for children. I think this is one of those graphic novels that has wide appeal, including kids, teens, and adults. I really enjoy the art style as well. Its fun and colorful. The end leaves us knowing there will be more adventures for Billy and his duck!

What a fun graphic novel. I can definitely see the students in my class picking this one up and loving the adventure of these explorers! I will be dutifully waiting to buy this one for my classroom to add to my graphic novel collection for my students.