by Clyde Hall. Choco-Rocks or Sugar Boogers? Pretty Pony Adventures or Action-Bot? These are the daunting decisions kids face on a daily basis! Such weighty matters require a second opinion, a boon companion to support your choice or debate it. Even if they have to create that BFF. Calvin had Hobbes, and Alison made her own Robot. Together, girl and mecha-golem tackle the tough cases brought on by adolescence! They are Alison and Her Rock Awesome Robot!
They’re also the charming creations of writer and artist Fred Chao, Eisner-nominated for his Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero graphic novel. His children’s comic book Alison and Her Rainy Day Robot was the precursor to the comic strip, where seven-year-old Alison shares her insightful revelations on things like the splendor of cherry popsicles, creative tooth brushing, competitive hill rolling, and the hazards of playing Duck Duck Goose with penguins. Because her world revolves around five penguins, a monkey, her 80’s music fan dad, her health-conscience mom, and her Robot, who’s still trying to make that world compute with Alison’s help.
Action Lab Entertainment’s Discover line of comics is bringing that sphere into graphic novel form this April with a year’s worth of Fred Chao strips. The Alison and Her Rock Awesome Robot collection will be 160 pages of condensed childhood delight with a double squirt of cherry syrup on top! (Kidding, that would be hard to bag and board.) But Action Labs has sweetened the deal with a five-page preview, seen below.
$19.99 | 160 pgs | E | APRIL 17
From Action Lab Entertainment: ALISON AND HER ROCK AWESOME ROBOT is the latest addition to Action Lab Entertainment’s Discover line of comics. This graphic novel collects a year’s worth of comic strips from Fred Chao. The stories follow seven-year-old Alison, a Robot she built, five penguins, a monkey named Andrew, an 80’s music loving father, a mom that just wants a break, as well as cartoon versions of Alton Brown and Fred Chao. This collection of humorous stories includes first crushes, snowball fights and a little girl teaching a robot about life.
The comic strip was inspired by the characters in creator, writer and artist Fred Chao’s previous children’s comic book, Alison and Her Rainy Day Robot. Fred also wrote and drew the graphic novel Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero that went on to be nominated for four Eisner awards and was included in The Best American Comics 2010 anthology. Readers can see more of his work on his official website.
Fred Chao had this to say about ALISON: “Comic strips were the first medium I loved; they helped me learn to read, made me laugh, made me understand how relatable fictional characters could be. Through the process of making these strips, I discovered my own ability to create overarching themes and character growth in a medium that needed to include quick, pithy jokes within every 3-4 panels.”
This 160 page graphic novel will be available this April 2019. Pre-order it in a comic book store near you on FEB191304.
