Feo the Chupacabra: An Original Graphic Novel

Gr 4-7–The legendary chupacabra attempts to rise through the ranks of cinematic stardom in this tribute to classic movie monsters. In the remote Mexican town of Cábrito Viejo, the 1950 Festival del Chupacabra is interrupted with news that the entire town will be sold to make way for a large Hollywood movie studio. The actual chupacabra, fittingly named Feo for his resemblance to an ugly chihuahua rather than the large winged beast of legend, recruits the help of a local girl Camila to star in his own monster movie, thereby cementing the town’s status as a historical landmark. Along their journey, they cross paths with multitude monsters, including a mummy, a werewolf, Dracula, and Frankenstein’s monster, mirroring the real-life Abbott and Costello Meet… series of movies that clearly inspired the book’s cinematic comedic duo Rank and Phyle. Blankenship’s humorous writing and quick plotting keep things light and moving, but the monsters contain about as much depth as the original Abbott and Costello movies, never exploring what makes these monsters so classic to begin with. Thompson’s expressive art calls to mind his background at Pixar, with the scrawny Feo stealing the spotlight in all the panels that feature him.