Perhapanauts Volume 1: Triangle

The Perhapanauts #1

by Craig Rousseau (Artist), Todd Dezago

Bigfoot, ghosts, mothman, and the chupacabras -- strange and mysterious creatures from folklore and local legend, cryptids that stay just out of sight of the American public. There is a covert organization designed to track down and contain these bizarre creatures. It's agents are The Perhapanauts, and they just happen to be...a bigfoot, a mothman, a ghost, a chupacabra!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2009

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know how sometimes you meet someone and it feels like you’ve known them for a long time? There’s an effortlessness to the rhythm of your conversation and the cadence of your shared jokes, and they even their face is a familiar sight the first time you see it. It’s always a good feeling, even if a little bit odd.

That’s the Perhapanauts for me—even though I just recently discovered the book, I know these characters well. I understand the dynamics of their relationships. I get what they’re trying to do.

That’s not, mind you, because the book is a cliché-filled hothouse of overused comic tropes; rather, it’s a testament to the universally appealing style of Dezago’s writing and Rousseau’s art. Think Men in Black meets Harry and the Hendersons with a spicy, zesty dash of As the World Turns (that’s a soap opera, right? Because that’s what I’m going for…there are soap opera elements. But, I have no idea what the best shorthand for that is these days, in the post-soap opera era).

Sure, that new-yet-familiar friend may not challenge you or push you out of your comfort zone, but they’re always a welcome sight and fun to hang out with. Unless they turn out to be a serial killer who seems familiar only because they’ve studied you in advance in an effort to get close to you so that they can ultimately knock you out and turn your skin into moccasins for their pet pigs (in which case, of course, they’re not that much fun to hang out with, and they do push you out of your comfort zone a little, on account of the pain associated with being skinned alive…but the Perhapanauts have not, as of yet, attempted to flay me).

Where was I? Oh, right—this is a solid story, and I’m looking forward to further adventures with the gang.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An organization called Bedlam works to keep supernatural creatures, aliens, etc. from slipping into our world.

3.5 stars For sheer story/art, I would give this four stars but the individual comic issues that make this volume are so disjointed it's hard to follow. The author is also overly texty. Outside of that, I enjoyed this book: a group made of an evolved Bigfoot, a psychic, a man who can slide between dimensions, a ghost, and (my favorite) Choopie the chupacabra take on a beast from hell, mothmen, and a chimaera.

The best parts are the humerous ones, such as a bunch of adorable gremlins showing up to make Choopie their king. I'm intrigued enough to try more.

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

You ever pick up a book because you think, "oh, that's a pretty cool premise" (plus it's like 4 bucks at the used book store) and then you read it and it turns out to be the most basic, generic, unexceptional possible use of said premise? Yeah, it happens sometimes.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at a comic convention randomly. Yet again, a random find at a comic con surprises me greatly. I thought this would be over-the-top corny and all around B-movie, but I think it captured the essence of quirky characters in a comedy-action nicely. I really loved the art in this book and loved how the art changed in a few sections.

My only complaint would be that the first issue was a lot of introduction with an insanely abrupt ending and the trade overall ended suddenly. Overall, I enjoyed it immensely.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

for fans of Hell Boy and Mad Man. Plots wrapped up abruptly