CLIMBING OUT is a charming and delightful romp through the adventurous fantasies of, well, a young monkey boy. Following up on his breakout work, Cave-In, Brain Ralph continues to build upon his prehistoric world of wonder and innocence and buried intricacy.
As in Cave-In, and Alice in Wonderland before it, our journey begins when our guide discovers (and promptly falls into) a hole. But this time around, our Curious George finds a cranky caveman hording a virtual trove of imaginative treasures, including a magic book that's bound to get our furry friend in trouble (watch out!).
CLIMBING OUT isn't as much a sequel as it is a natural progression. Ralph is clearly expanding upon his storytelling capabilities with a more focused narrative and clever page layouts. The result is an engaging story that's sure to draw a smile out of the most submerged inner child.
Peter Aaron Rose is a writer, producer and technologist who lives and works in San Francisco, CA. Under the pseudonym "Peter Siegel", he recently authored Killing Demons, a graphic novel available from Engine Press and Platinum Studios.
