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Chimichanga

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 159 ratings · 32 reviews

Eric Powell, creator of the award winning series The Goon, brings his offbeat humor and distinctive style to his newest creation! A story fit for youngsters, Chimichanga tells the tale of a bearded girl, her less than spectacular traveling circus, and a bizarre creature that turns their lives upside down.

Paperback, 94 pages

Published by Albatross Exploding Funny Books (first published September 13th 2011)

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Dec 15, 2011 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics-graphic-novel, for-the-older-crowd

If the bearded woman Sister Peace had befriended in her youth in Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting had had a child, I imagine she would be Lula from Eric Powell’s vibrantly precocious Chimichanga! This finger-snapping little girl is sassy!

Lula the bearded girl and her family-owned Travelling Circus are more than cute. They are hilarious. There is “The Amazing Randy,” a “man with the strength of a slightly larger man” (see below); Horace, “the man that once saw Elvis,” Ezmerelda and her amazing two-e...more If the bearded woman Sister Peace had befriended in her youth in Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting had had a child, I imagine she would be Lula from Eric Powell’s vibrantly precocious Chimichanga! This finger-snapping little girl is sassy!

Lula the bearded girl and her family-owned Travelling Circus are more than cute. They are hilarious. There is “The Amazing Randy,” a “man with the strength of a slightly larger man” (see below); Horace, “the man that once saw Elvis,” Ezmerelda and her amazing two-eyed goat; Gene, “The indifferent clown;” the list goes on. And with acts like these, how can Wrinkle’s Travelling Circus be suffering financially? Then there is Dagmar the Witch with whom Lula trades beard hair for the strange egg. Dagmar who has had chronic flatulence problems for years. There is plenty of silliness to go around. And then there are the more serious notes.

Cue the real villain. The Man. Rivalry amongst Freak Show performers and the magical properties of beard hair create a perfect storm and opportunity for Mr. Dinderly of Dinderley Pharmaceuticals Inc to sweep in and takes what whom he believes to be his: Lula. Can no one stop him? It doesn’t seem likely. And should they bother? Dinderly can fund the freak show’s retirement. Fortunately, the pluck of our heroine is infectious and Mr. Wrinkles and Heratio the boy faced fish come up with a plan.

Chimichanga is geared toward the older crowd, despite the young protagonist and sometimes juvenile humor. There isn’t much in the way of objectionable content, it is more of concern over an inability to get the humor. Unless you look forward to endlessly explaining why you are laughing, or enjoy conversations on corrupt corporate antics with a grade-schooler (as some of us do), you may want keep this one on your shelf a while. However, there is that self-esteem angle. Who could be more proud to be who she is and in the company she is with than Lula the bearded girl? Then there are lessons in how scary googly-eyed monsters make for good friends. Yeah, Chimichanga is a good read for the older crowd.

If you are looking for a brilliant entertaining read that will have you sporting beards to mustache parties, Chimichanga is a must. And if you aren’t a Hipster, you will likely appreciate Eric Powell’s candy colored comic just the same. Chimichanga is an expected delight and one to add to that formidable collection of comics.

——so noted—–the first two images are before coloring by the multiple Eisner-award-winning colorist Dave Stewart. and I know: I do try to have at least one paragraph on the illustrations. I got caught up in the character and story. The illustrations are so effective, so effortless, I had to revisit them. so here goes:

Chimichanga is reminiscent of early comic strips like Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray, and there is a bit of nostalgia at work in the comic as it rises up to meet present day relevance. There is a lot of movement and expression and depth that is achieved in the shading and light, and in the coloring. Yet, the illustrations do not appear complicated, thus providing an ease for even the most amateur comic reader to be charmed by the story and it’s occupants’ antics. Chimichanga‘s cute and sentimental mien is a lure and a balm. The comics accessibility is less a veneer and more a counter-balance, while yet providing its own implication. Chimichanga is as intelligently done as it is adorable.

L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...
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in full disclosure: I had the pleasure of this read thanks to NetGalley, Dark Horse Books, and an advanced reader’s copy. [the above] is my free, fair, & honest review.(less)

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Dec 08, 2011 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade, early-readers, comics-and-graphic-novels

Sold!

I think this was my favorite graphic novel of the year. Here's why:

From the first glance, you're not quite sure what you're getting into with that little bearded girl and the "monster" on the cover. What you will discover is a wonderful story that speaks to individuality, strength of character, self-esteem, self-worth, friendship, and community. Did I mention that it's funny? And delightful?

Lula is a little bearded girl who lives and works at the circus. Chimichanga is her spastic monsteri...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

Since I have a self-imposed "rule" of not putting ongoing comic trade paperbacks on Goodreads, I haven't mentioned the multiple issues of Eric Powell's The Goon that I've read. But since Chimichanga is a stand alone story, I'm putting it up here.

It's not all that common to find some who writes AND draws their own comics. It's even more rare to find someone who does it as well as Powell. Every panel is a little piece of art, and every line of dialogue is a gem. I suppose you have to have a certa...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Zack rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, comics

it's books like that that make me wonder why not everyone in the world loves graphic novels. i've flipped through an issue or 2 of THE GOON before, but have basically no exposure to eric powell's other work, but if a sweet story about a young bearded girl from a travelling side-show who barters a lock of her facial hair to a witch in exchange for a shiny rock which turns out to be an egg from which hatches a giant green monster who becomes the new star attraction while Big Pharmacopoeia attempts...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Rebecca Fields rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Eric Powell's Chimichanga, we're introduced to Lula, the bearded girl of Wrinkle's Traveling Circus where the freaks aren't so freakish. We're given Heratio - The Boy Faced Fish! An amazing two eyed goat who tells the future! Randy the colossus of average size - he's a man with the strength of a slightly larger man, watch him fight his way out of a wet paper bag and be amazed at the large sacks of groceries he carries up stairs and you can't forget his kitten wrestling abilities! Needless to...more In Eric Powell's Chimichanga, we're introduced to Lula, the bearded girl of Wrinkle's Traveling Circus where the freaks aren't so freakish. We're given Heratio - The Boy Faced Fish! An amazing two eyed goat who tells the future! Randy the colossus of average size - he's a man with the strength of a slightly larger man, watch him fight his way out of a wet paper bag and be amazed at the large sacks of groceries he carries up stairs and you can't forget his kitten wrestling abilities! Needless to say, the circus is struggling.

The story begins with Lula going off to buy lunch. She heads for a taco stand and orders; you guessed it, a chimichanga. On her way back, she's met by a witch with a horrible gas problem. In exchange for a few hairs from her beard, Lula receives a wagon and a rock which, unbeknownst to either of them, was recently puked up by a rather sickly looking stork/vulture hybrid. Lula takes her wagon and heads back to the circus only to be slowed by an increased weight in the wagon. She finds the rock, which apparently was an egg, has hatched and now a large, hairy monster is sitting in her wagon. Lula names the monster Chimichanga and takes it back to the circus.

Meanwhile, the witch has prepared her brew and it's cured her gassiness. She immediately takes it to Dinderly Pharmaceuticals where she tries to sell the concoction as a cure for chronic gas. In a rather fun dialogue the owner of the pharmaceutical company explains that cures aren't good for business. They prefer medicine which will keep consumers coming back for more. While the witch is arguing with him, her gas problem erupts twice as bad. The pharmaceutical guy is immediately interested and shoves aside a researcher who has almost found the cure for cancer so he can make room for his new darling: pills that relieve gas and then makes it come back twice as bad. However, there's the problem of where to get more beard hair from a young girl.

What follows is an adventure as Chimichanga gets taken away and Lula is kidnapped. The lawyers of Dinderly claim ownership over her and the circus performers must come up with a way to save her.

I'm relatively new to the graphic novel genre and I have to say, I really enjoyed reading this. The pictures were fun and while colorful, they were a bit muted to show the grittiness of the carnival. Any colors to do with the pharmaceutical company were stark and dismal which gave the intended feeling that we’re dealing with something bad.

Some might find the subject of the pharmaceutical company dealt with a in a heavy handed manner, but I laughed the whole way through. The story between Lula and Chimi was vaguely reminiscent of Frankenstein's monster. I loved the not quite freaks in the circus. It was a little predictable at times, but well worth the read if you’re looking for something light and fun.
Galley provided for review.(less)

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Sep 09, 2011 BarkLessWagMore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-review, graphic-novel

This is a quirky comic about a bearded little girl with chubby legs named Lula. She’s shown on the opening pages with her entire hand clasping onto the pinky finger of her beast. Completely adorable.

On her way home from purchasing a chimichanga, Lula is stopped by a grizzly, gaseous old woman who wants a snippet of her whiskers for nefarious reasons. Lula, being no easy mark, demands a pretty “rock” and a wagon in exchange, then allows the witch to snip off a few whiskers and happily skips away...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Andrew Shuping rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novel

ARC provided by netGalley

Tired of the standard everyday fare in graphic novels? Looking for something different and exciting? Then come one and come all, step up to the tent of wonder in the Wrinkle's Traveling Circus. See Heratio, the boy faced fish, Randy the man with the strength of a slightly larger man, and Lula the bearded girl! And joining them as the newest attraction after hatching from an egg in Lula’s wagon the amazing, the fearsome, and the somewhat hairy Chimichanga! But all is not...more ARC provided by netGalley

Tired of the standard everyday fare in graphic novels? Looking for something different and exciting? Then come one and come all, step up to the tent of wonder in the Wrinkle's Traveling Circus. See Heratio, the boy faced fish, Randy the man with the strength of a slightly larger man, and Lula the bearded girl! And joining them as the newest attraction after hatching from an egg in Lula’s wagon the amazing, the fearsome, and the somewhat hairy Chimichanga! But all is not well. The circus is failing and the other performers don’t care for Chimichanga so a plot is hatched to get rid of him once and for all. And then Lula is taken hostage by a local cooperation to use her beard for a potion! What will they do? Will Lula’s grandfather, who runs the circus, be able to get her back? Will the circus close? Will Lula lose her beard? And what will happen to Chimchanga? Read the book and find out!

First off I love the beginning of the book. It's just so different from the average story and funny as all get out with the image of of a little bearded girl taking on the giant monster. And that she's a precocious little 6 or 7 year old girl with her polka dotted underpants showing and that she's not afraid of anything, except of course for working at the fishing canning factory, just creates an even richer character. The story seems a bit preachy when it comes to dealing with the cooperation, but it's still such a charming adventure that it can be overlooked. And although you could say this might be the classic story of a girl and her monster...wait, nope its not an old classic, but a new one.

The artwork is bloody brilliant in this book. From how the grandpa is drawn with fat rolls to Heratio the boy faced fish to Chimichanga, we can connect to the characters and get a sense of who they are from just how they look and move on the page. We can tell that Chimchanga really does care for the little girl Lula and that the villains in the story have no remorse. Their expressions are distinctive and feel real. The colors are rich and vibrant and seem to leap off the page. The backgrounds aren't always the most detailed, but that's ok they don't have to be. And when they count they are just as rich and sumptuous as the characters themselves. You could get lost looking at the dept and details of the characters themselves.

It’s a fantastic little book that takes what could have been an average tale and spins it in a different direction. If you like the unusual and the different, if you like the adventurous then this book is for you.(less)

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Aug 02, 2011 Sharon Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Chimichanga by Eric Powell is a children's graphic novel due to be released on August 31. It is accessible and entertaining to readers of all ages. There is offbeat humor and striking artwork that can strike a cord with a large variety of readers, as long as they are willing to check out something a little different. Lulu is the bearded girl in a traveling circus that features acts that are less than awe inspiring. When Lulu sticks a deal with a witch to trade some of her hair for a "rock" and a...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Scarlett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-arc, reviewed

Originally posted on my blog here.

Just to manage expectations, the reason I'm giving this graphic novel a 3 is solely for the pictures. The storyline was only as a means of tying together the great pictures, not the other way around. You might actually be able to make up your own story that would be more amusing. I don't mean that in an unkind way, simply that Mr. Powell's talent lies in his drawings. Each was full-bodied and engaging. I didn't ever think that a bearded girl could be so cute but...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Sara Thompson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

I don't normally read humorous graphic novels, can't say why but it just doesn't happen. Chimichanga was a delight to read. The story of a young bearded girl, Lulu, who's grandfather runs the circus. She gives away some of her whiskers to a witch in exchange for a shiny rock and a wagon. The rock turns out to be the egg. It hatches a beast she names Chimichanga (after her snack that he eats). What happens is an amusing battle between this little girl, the circus and a pharmaceutical company that...more

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May 01, 2013 Gayle Francis Moffet rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, comics

Great art. Lovely colors. A charming premise of a little bearded girl who gets a big, fuzzy, spastic dog of a monster from a witch.

But the wrong villain by a longshot. In a world with witches and birds that puke up eggs, having the baddie be a pharmaceutical company is completely off-tone. At first, I tried to go with it, find the funny it in, but Powell went from an overblown caricature into straight up hatred that stopped being funny because the jokes weren't any good.

All right, you're against...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Sam Quixote rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lula, a young bearded girl belonging to a travelling circus, barters a hair of her beard to a witch for a strange looking egg which hatches into a kind of troll dog (think Jeff Smith's rat creatures from "Bone") which she calls Chimichanga. The witch's potion turns out to cure excessive flatulence which she sells to an evil pharmaceutical company - the only trouble is the secret ingredient is Lula's beard hair!

I don’t know any kids let alone what they read so I’m not sure if this will appeal to...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, read-2012

When I saw the cover of this graphic novel I was slightly freaked out - it shows a bearded girl with a really gross looking monster. It's actually adorable though, both the bearded girl and the gross monster. Loved seeing Chimichanga looking guilty with half an elephant sticking out of his mouth. I even liked the flatulent witch. So cute, great for kids. I perhaps unfairly knocked it down a star because unfortunately I'm not a kid so I can't appreciate the full genius.

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Sep 01, 2011 Jessica at Book Sake rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seriously…a bearded girl? I’m there. While this one was crazy hard for me to read (something with the formatting of the ebook, which I’m sure will be worked out before publishing), I still wanted to continue reading it and find out what was going on. The girl, who is pretty clueless ends up with this giant of a beast – Chimichanga. He’s pretty innocent looking, despite his size. The story is cute and sweet and just a little bit odd. I like the art (once again despite the bad formatting for the e...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Seizure Romero rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comics-graphic-novels

The touching story of the bond that forms between a bearded girl and a giant googly-eyed critter that hatched from an egg thrown up by a vulture. There's also a circus, an evil pharmaceutical company, a flatulent witch and-- wait for it-- Randy! The Man With the Strength of a Slightly Larger Man.

I can't make this $#!+ up. Eric Powell can, fortunately.

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Sep 02, 2012 Jennifer Whiteford rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Loved this weird little comic about a young bearded girl and her pet monster. And I'm not usually really into the sketches that artists publish in the backs of comic books, but this one had some really fun explanations about how the author's sons reacted to the initial character drawings and I liked that part a lot.

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Jul 10, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very unusual main character: a bearded little girl. This is a pretty weird graphic novel, but I loved the witty dialogue. 4 stars just for being so different and a fun, quick read. Highly recommended by my 13yo son too.

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Nov 16, 2011 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

Very fun graphic novel about a bearded 6-year-old who discovers a big hairy monster that may help her save her circus. The sly humor is appealing to adults but appropriate for younger readers. Good suggestion for Bone fans.

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Aug 02, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Chimichanga is hilarious! A nice short graphic novel by Eric Powell about a small girl named Lola who happens to be a tiny bearded lady. Through a series of events she inherits an egg which hatches and becomes a hideous creature. And of course her new best friend.

Lola lives with her grandfather who runs a circus sideshow of pathetic second rate oddities.

The art is fantastic and I enjoyed every moment of this graphic novel. Very funny and if you like a pop surrealistic style, then Chimichanga sho...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Donald Armfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: galley, graphic-novels

The little girl with the beard. a cute little story of a little girl who becomes attached to a giant innocent monster. After being captured the monster who escapes and goes on a search for his owner. Wonderful artwork.

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Apr 15, 2012 Kristina Stonehill rated it 5 of 5 stars

So much fun. It's like Eric Powell knew me when I was little...and set it at the circus for 25 year old Kristina to enjoy. I wish I had so much more of this to read.

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May 10, 2012 Michael J. Martens added it

This is one of the best books I have been involved with during my 32 years in the business!

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Dec 11, 2011 amy boese rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

I loved the art, the story was good, but it didn't blow me away.

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Dec 21, 2011 Ardis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels-manga

quirky and fun (and odd) with fantastic illustrations.

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Dec 12, 2012 Scott Fletcher rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Recommended by Andrew

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Feb 21, 2012 Hannah Cruthirds rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love the art!

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Sep 09, 2011 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, graphic-novels

Full review on HorrorTalk.com: http://bit.ly/q9Ec89

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Jan 16, 2012 Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you read this expecting it to be the kind of book that you think it will be, then it's perfect. Dive in.

But don't read it if you don't know what you're getting into. Basically, it's for fans of The Goon.

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Nov 24, 2011 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: found-via-goodreads

Gorgeous art. Simple story in the style of Powell's Goonverse. Fun but too short.

1 like · like · see review

May 08, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very sweet. I especially adored the bearded girl, Lula.

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About Eric Powell

Eric Powell has contributed work on such comics titles as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Hellboy: Weird Tales, Star Wars Tales, The Incredible Hulk, Black Panther, The Avengers, The Hood, MAD Magazine, Devil Dinosaur, Swamp Thing, the Avengers, She-Hulk, the Simpsons, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and Action Comics.

Although eking out a meager living in the comics field since 1995, Eric didn't find...more

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The Goon, Volume 2: My Murderous Childhood (and Other Grievous Yarns)

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