The Mysterious Manuscript

June 4, 2012
In this Danish comics import, time traveler Mortensen is shown a book from 1512 that portrays an airplane, so he sets out to find out how the anachronism happened. Although short in page count, each page has 8–10 panels, making for a full read as Mortensen goes back to ancient Scotland, where he quickly loses his “time gun” and winds up a captive. The adventures, many of them his own fault, are amusing, but the translated Danish dialogue falls flat, sticking to simple explanation. The whole thing has the demented logic of many time travel tales, where it all works out if you don’t think about it too hard. Jakobsen takes the basic Hergé style of children’s comics and adds a more vigorous line, while keeping to simple character designs: Mortensen’s appearance—dot eyes, the suggestion of a nose tip, and a small line for a mouth—is surprisingly readable and approachable. Disturbingly, the only female character is a mute woman tagged as a witch who helps Mortensen solve the mystery. Fans of Doctor Who who want to enlist their children in the cult of wacky time traveling adventures can start them off with this series. A second volume, The Santa Fe Jail, is also available. Ages 9–14.

September 1, 2012

Gr 4 Up-In Mysterious Manuscript, Mortensen goes back to Scotland in the 1500s where a manuscript has shown up with a drawing of an airplane. In Santa Fe Jail, he is on the hunt for a kidnapped scientist who is dumped in the past. A small team of scientists has developed a new technology where it is possible to travel through time, but the technology has fallen into the wrong hands and it is up to the protagonist to prevent the present from being altered. Occasionally, the shifts through time (the constant back and forth) in the stories is confusing. Still, adventure and history fans will enjoy watching Mortensen as he tries to solve the mystery in the first book and rescue the scientist in the second. While reminiscent of Herge's "Tintin" tales, these slim volumes are not as sophisticated or exciting as those stories. Still, they're sure to find an appreciative audience. The artwork is a throwback to the early days of the comics industry. Bland colors are quite dominant, but have just a hint of bright colors to draw in readers' eyes. Additional purchases.-Esther Keller, I.S. 278, Marine Park, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.