Brian “Smitty” Smith (text) and Chris Giarrusso (illustrator), Lobster Cop (Officer Clawsome #1), HarperCollins Publishers, October 2023, 240 pp., RRP $19.99, ISBN 9780008611460
Officer Clawsome and Stariana are the pride of Caper Cove. Without them, the police would be overwhelmed with criminals, especially as there seems to be an outbreak a day. It’s like there’s a hole in the side of the prison (there is).
But when the town’s beloved bakery, Kelpy’s Kelpcakes, goes missing (the whole bakery) and there are rumours about shark sightings for the first time in a hundred years, the duo face not one, but two, master criminals. Perhaps Chowderhead and his Chowder Cakes have something to do with all this? Officer Clawsome needs to find a hiding place big enough for a bakery and put the criminals back in their place.
Packed with pincers, puns and plenty of explosions, Officer Clawsome: Lobster Cop is a fast-paced, hilarious graphic novel that is a cross between Dog Man and Spongebob Square Pants. It is sure to be a hit with fans of those graphic novels.
Review by Pamela Ueckerman
