Rex’s Awakening

The first adventure in Paré-Sorel’s “Adventurosaur” series, Rex’s Awakening, introduces readers to Rex, a young dinosaur on a quest. When readers first meet Rex, he’s the village errand-boy, doing chores for the whole town while caring for his sick father. After his village is attacked and set ablaze, Rex finds himself orphaned and in search of answers. Joined by his friends Patchy and Gogo, Rex sets out to find a long-lost family member and fulfill his destiny while avoiding the evil sorcerer Tyratops who had a long-standing feud with Rex’s father. Clearly the beginning of a more epic adventure, this first chapter in the series ends with an almost-literal cliffhanger.

The artwork in this graphic novel reminded me of the cartoons I used to enjoy in the 80s and 90s: bright colours, bold and defined lines, and blocky shapes. The details put into each individual dinosaur are incredible, from the facial expressions to the spikes and scales. I really loved the use of silhouettes and shadows to show action, and to highlight the background artwork. The background colours work to heighten the atmosphere on each page, from intense reds and oranges during tense scenes to bright blue skies behind happier ones.

The one issue I had while reading Rex’s Awakening is that, while I can see the artwork and plot appealing to a younger age group, the language and vocabulary are clearly higher. The nine-year-old in my house was instantly drawn to the illustrations but found some of the vocabulary too challenging. Graphic novels are often a great way to introduce new words because there is an accompanying illustration to help define the word, but that was not always the case here. The exception, of course, is the invention of the word “ninjaptors”—the meaning there was instantly clear without an illustration, and when we finally saw them, they were exactly as perfect as one would hope!

Rex’s Awakening might have a bit of a niche audience, but it is still engaging and fun. Full of adventure, chaos, and constant action, it will almost certainly appeal to fans of Jeff Smith’s “Bone” series or Tui T. Sutherland’s “Wings of Fire” graphic novels.