The Curse of the Scarewolf

The Curse of the Scarewolf is the second book in Dom Pelletier’s “Lunch Club” graphic novel series and follows It Came from the Basement. In this Halloween-themed adventure, returning main characters and Philately Club members Tia and Leo are once again tasked with saving the world, or at least their school. When a mutant green rat injects their club leader Mr. Peabody with a serum that turns him into a werewolf, it’s up to Tia and Leo to help him; however, Peabody has been given specific instructions from the mutant rat to bite them! If he succeeds, who will help the Philately Club solve this problem and turn Mr. Peabody (and the school principal!) back into a human?

Interspersed with the main plot by way of funny flashbacks, readers learn the backstory of the Philately Club and how it came to exist as a cover for a more covert problem-solving operation. Later, through some classic evil-villain-monologuing and exposition, readers learn more about Zaralgax, the mutant alien octopus from It Came from the Basement who is clearly being set up as a recurring villain.

Once again, Pelletier has created a hilariously bright and vivid graphic novel, one with a great balance between simple illustrations containing larger passages of text and busy pages with minimal text. I particularly loved the attention to detail in the science fair page, but the scenes with characters in Halloween costumes are also very funny. The jokes are still clever, the characters remain smart but also a bit silly, and the octopus’s mustache remains epic (that was a weird sentence to write).

The “Lunch Club” series continues strongly with this second title, and my household will be eagerly awaiting the next instalment.