Billy Johnson and His Duck Are Explorers

by Mathew New, Mathew New (Illustrator)

Overview

An all-ages, adventure-comedy graphic novel, Billy Johnson and His Duck Are Explorers has it all: humor, peril, and out-of-this-world archaeological adventures (oh, and ducks!). Billy Johnson, the son of two world-famous explorers (who mysteriously disappeared eight years ago) has big dreams. The teenager may be a part-time janitor now, but exploring is in his blood. He just needs one big discovery to prove to the Explorers League that he's worthy of the rank of Ace Explorer. Luckily, Billy has an ally in his best friend, Barrace. Not only is Barrace a college professor of linguistics, but he's also a duck! Together, these boon companions brave hidden jungle kingdoms, haunted tombs, deadly deserts, and treacherous mythological trials to uncover the mysteries of the world. But will they discover that the biggest mystery of all may be following them every step of the way?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684468010
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2023
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Mathew New has been drawing comics since he was 6-years-old, and doesn't plan to stop until he is 99. In 2014 he graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies with a MFA in putting drawings inside boxes. Originally self-published as four issues, Billy Johnson and his Duck are Explorers is his first book. Mathew lives, draws, and teaches in Bloomington, Indiana.

Mathew New has been drawing comics since he was 6-years-old, and doesn't plan to stop until he is 99. In 2014 he graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies with a MFA in putting drawings inside boxes. Originally self-published as four issues, Billy Johnson and his Duck are Explorers is his first book. Mathew lives, draws, and teaches in Bloomington, Indiana.

Interviews

An all-ages, adventure-comedy full-color graphic novel; Modern-day TINTIN chock-full of humor, peril, and globe-trotting, archaeological, out-of-this-world adventures (oh, and ducks); Fans of MIGHTY JACK, HILO, and THE CARDBOARD KINGDOM will be desperately searching for the next installment; Written and illustrated by debut author-illustrator Mathew New, a graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies

Editorial Reviews

In Mathew New’s absurdist graphic novel, a teenage boy and his talking duck seek out adventure in an attempt to prove the boy’s worth as an explorer. Billy, a part-time janitor, is really an explorer. With Barrace, a duck who is also a professor of linguistics, Billy travels the world seeking strange places and artifacts. In this collection of four stories, the duo searches a mysterious jungle for a lost monkey kingdom, hunts beneath a castle in England for the ring of the ghost king, tracks a mythical Atlas Bear through a desert, and goes through a series of trials to obtain powerful hero’s armor. Each story is irreverent, funny, and unpredictable. The stories are tied together by Billy’s quest to join the Explorer’s League, an elite group of which his parents, now missing, were important members. His desire to follow in their footsteps, and Barrace’s support of this plan, results in emotional depth and fosters a sense of innocence that’s suitable for all ages. A mysterious blue figure appears just in time to pull Billy and Barrace out of the direst of circumstances in each story, while an unnamed character seems to be tracking them through their adventures. These intriguing elements make it clear that there are more adventures to come. The book’s full-color cartoon illustrations match the playful tone and style of the stories, resulting in a clear sense of space and movement. Onomatopoeia is used to great effect, with flare guns that “tsssssew,” swords that “shing” and locks that “klunk,” adding enjoyable dimension to the stories. Billy Johnson and His Duck Are Explorers is a humorous graphic novel full of action and adventure.

ForeWord Reviews - Catherine Thureson

Billy Johnson’s late parents were famous explorers, and he’d love to follow in their footsteps. He has great instincts, but no one at the Explorer’s League takes him seriously (mostly because he never has anything to show for his adventures). Along with his trusty duck companion, Professor Barrace, Billy travels the world getting into peril, and at every turn, he’s rescued at the last minute by a mysterious being. New brings a great sense of comedic timing to Billy’s episodic adventures, which are full of one-liners and over-the-top situations, all rendered in densely illustrated panels full of bright colors, bold outlines, and cartoonish figures. There’s a lot to take in, so key details could get lost for kids unaccustomed to the comics format, but some deep mysteries, like Barrace’s backstory, the identity of the creature rescuing Billy, and the cloaked figure surveilling him from afar, propel the story forward. While there’s no hint of resolution to those overarching plot threads, Billy’s madcap exploring, touched with grounding moments of tenderness, is entertaining enough on its own.

Booklist - Sarah Hunter

Billy Johnson and his Duck are Explorers is a comic I read with my son. We love the feeling of traveling and adventure, and the stories remind us of The Adventures of Tintin. Highly recommended!

Kazu Kibuishi - Writer and artist of the New York Times Bestselling AMULET graphic novel series

This fast-paced, high-action, thoroughly enjoyable romp has everything from elegant thieves and possible aliens to lost cities and mummy butlers. I spy with my little eye an artist that loves his Tintin. Rip-roaring adventures occur for a boy and his trusty duck companion. Never mind that the boy inevitably fails in almost every case, or that the duck is clearly the smarter of the two. You’ll have no trouble following the action, and though we’ve seen similar types of stories for kids, this is the first comic to do it well. What’s not to love?

A Fuse 8 Production, 31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Comics & Graphic Novels for Kids - Elizabeth Bird

Billy Johnson And His Duck Are Explorers is a fun new graphic novel by cartoonist Mathew New and published by Capstone Editions. New’s debut is a fun romp that collects four treasure-hunting adventures that are perfect for fans young and old. And that fun begins immediately with the opening sequence. Framed with a song, It introduces the heroes to readers and there’s a sense of who they are from the get-go. Billy is a wannabe explorer, over-confident and wanting to make a name for himself. Barace is a talking duck, who happens to also be a college professor and Billy’s voice of reason. Together they travel the world looking for treasure while avoiding peril with every turn. New has tried to make each issue as distinct as possible. Each issue is a self-contained adventure, filled with their unique locations (jungles, ruins, desert, caves and more), obstacles, and perils. These are introduced at a steady pace and never dwell too long on any given thing, which means there’s always something new for the reader. At the same time, there’s a much larger plot that brews in the background opening up the potential for more stories in the future. New’s art is visually engaging, with lush environments and expressive characters, while still adhering to his stylist rules. His linework has a consistent thickness to it, which allows him to ad important detail but not get bogged down in the nitty-gritty. Instead, his vivid colours are used to create some of that shorthand and give the environments an additional sense of wonder. Billy Johnson And His Duck Are Explorers shows that New has a strong sense of storytelling too. There are many scenes in which do not require dialogue, instead of telling the story through movement with a ‘show, not tell’ approach. This ranges from a character breaking into a castle to steal a priceless artefact to seeing what Barace gets up to in his day-to-day life. It’s a refreshing take, as sometimes all-ages comics like to explain what characters are doing when it’s not always necessary. But it’s not all adventure and danger. In the downtime, Billy and is waterfowl pal have moments of vulnerability when they talk about how they feel. Billy and Barace can discuss their frustrations in a very grown-up way and it’s a good example to set for young readers. All in all, the Billy Johnson And His Duck Are Explorers is an incredibly fun read. Packed with a strong sense of adventure, character depth, and bright art, kids and adults will equally love this graphic novel. If you pick up this book then you’ll have certainly found a treasure worth holding onto. Billy Johnson And His Duck Are Explorers is available from August 1st in good comic book stores, book stores, online stores, and eBay.

How To Love Comics - Trevor Van As

The preface to this debut graphic novel is a series of thumbnails of the friends’ adventures, which turn out to be a song sung by Billy Johnson about himself and his best friend Barrace; a professor of linguistics (who happens to be a duck). The first chapter introduces the two in mid-adventure, trying to escape from a jungle temple with a golden statue. They’re stopped by an angry gorilla, but Billy gets away with an eye from the statue and discovers a map to the “lost Monkey Kingdom.” Barrace is doubtful about this fresh adventure; after all, he’s already taken ten days off from work for this trip, but Billy is adamant and they set off for more adventure. Through the next chapters, Billy and his duck friend go through a series of wild adventures in his efforts to impress the Explorers League and move from part-time janitor to full-fledged explorer. Unfortunately, although he’s brave and bold and, well, not much else really—things just never work out for him. Hidden cities are destroyed by lava, he loses a cursed ring, and even when he sort of teams up with a competent tomb-thief/lady explorer; he just can’t catch a break. However, Billy’s indomitable enthusiasm rarely wanes and he’s determined to be an explorer, just like his famous parents and his hero, Hal Hardwick. But with mysterious entities and a strange hooded figure dogging his path, does he have a hope of succeeding? The art is heavily on the cartoon side of comics. Billy is a lanky guy, dressed in a red shirt, tie, and tennis shoes no matter the occasion. He presents as a rather naive young adult, with an almost constant smile and a mop of black hair. Barrace is more mature, holding down a job as a linguistics professor and operating more or less as an adult, although Billy treats him alternately as a friend and a rather dim roommate. Barrace is without expression, a fluffy white blob with a yellow beak. To be fair, ducks are not really made to show emotion and he acts primarily as a foil to Billy’s exuberance. There are only a few human characters in the story, but other than a brief glimpse of Barrace’s students, they all present white. The landscapes vary from bushy green jungles to ominous red volcanoes and dark underground tunnels. There are plenty of gruesome mummies, demons, and monsters, but their cartoon depiction takes away any atmosphere of horror. Billy vigorously waves his sword, Mr. Jabbers, but rarely hits anything except the occasional door or annoying vine, and other than mysterious ectoplasm, there’s no body fluids. Both the art and storyline make this feel like a kid-friendly wacky adventure, very much in the Saturday cartoon vein, as one nutty situation follows another. However, the overall idea of the Explorers League I consider to be very outdated. Although obviously not set in the real world, hence the existence of magic, a talking duck, etc., this harkens back to the traditional, white, European “explorers” and although this is a popular trope in a variety of middle grade adventures and fantasies, I don’t think it should be. Billy’s hero is a stereotypical muscled white man in khaki and Billy himself spends his time looting graveyards, damaging archeological sites, and stealing artifacts. These places are mostly shown as deserted, with the casual explanation for one that it’s near a volcano. Billy travels to a lost city in a jungle, a medieval-style castle with an underground maze and catacombs, a desert, and what appears to be a pyramid or temple. While there’s no clear use of a specific culture, it’s all vaguely boy-hero-adventure stuff of the early twentieth century, from mummies and hidden temples, to generic hieroglyphs and a mixture of creatures from different legends. This is more a series of loosely connected adventures without a conclusion than a coherent story. There are innumerable hints of secrets and future adventures, characters introduced who then disappear, and a wild blend of magic, supernatural, and every day occurrences. It is often humorous and the cliff-hanger ending will both frustrate and intrigue readers. However, I would compare this unfavorably to a series like Nico Bravo by Mike Cavallaro, which also has quirky art, wild adventures, and a plethora of mythical characters, but I feel uses fewer stereotypes and is more respectful of the cultures it draws from. With a wide variety of graphic novels available, and a plethora of adventure and fantasy titles, this is at best an additional title, considering the depiction of non-Western culture as a cartoon fantasy, the lack of diversity, and the trailing plot lines. If future volumes are published, I would be interested in seeing where the story goes and if the background of the setting is filled in more completely, which may redeem the story and resolve some of the issues.

No Flying No Tights - Jennifer Wharton

2020-05-03
Could an ambitious young janitor become an explorer?

Young Billy Johnson works as a custodian at the Explorers League, where he aspires to be an Ace Explorer, just like Hal Hardwick. Clad in his omnipresent tie and bearing a sword named Mr. Jabbers at his side, the pompadoured Billy and his best friend—an anthropomorphic white duck named Barrace who is a renowned college professor—embark upon swashbuckling adventures. In this episodic graphic novel, Billy and Barrace set out on four thrilling quests, including a trip into a volcano near the ruins of the once-great Monkey Kingdom, the capture of an enchanted ring in the hall of the Ghost King, an expedition to find the mysterious desert-dwelling Atlas Bear, and a battle against magical monsters in the Hero Trials. Once he completes his missions, will Billy finally be allowed to join the Explorers League? First-time author and illustrator New’s full-color, blazingly paced tale is self-contained so readers may pick up and enjoy the abundant madcap silliness out of sequence. Despite the bite-sized vignettes, there is an overarching and unresolved narrative thread, leaving just enough intrigue to fuel subsequent exploits. While only a handful of humans are present in this volume, Billy and the majority are white; unnamed background characters encompass a more diverse spectrum.

A quirky graphic debut. (Graphic fantasy/adventure. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews