Review of _Luke on the Loose_

Harry Bliss' first comic book is the tale of a rambunctious young boy who escapes his father's grasp at the park and then seemingly involves half of New York in his pursuit of pigeons through the boroughs. Apparently lighter than air and easily able to give chase, Luke is eventually rescued by city firemen after he falls asleep on a water tower atop one of Ne York's many brownstones. The ultimate result for Luke is that he becomes one of those leashed children the next time he goes to the park with his father, who doesn't change his own chatty behavior that led to him losing his son in the first place. Luke is his father's son, as he too tries to continue his chase from the day before. It's not there, but it is easy to visualize foam gathering at the corner of his mouth as he attempts to restart his antics.

The book is entertaining. Kids will enjoy seeing Luke cause tons of disruptions as he maintains his singularity of mind. Parents may want to discuss how lucky Luke is not to get hurt in his story. Fun but not fabulous, this Toon Books text should make for interesting reading and good discussion between small children and parents nonetheless.

Grown readers may see a little bit of Linus, Little Nemo and Curious George, even Barnaby, in the story, but whereas this text might remind one of those classic characters and storylines, Luke on the Loose does not rise to their level. Luke is going to need several more well-formed adventures with clearly developed beginnings, middles, and ends before he can think of being elevated to classic status.