Graphic Novel Review: Time Shifters by Chris Grine

Time Shifters by Chris Grine. 266 p. Graphix/ Scholastic, May, 2017. 978054592657. (Review of finished ppb copy courtesy of publisher.)

This graphic novel adventure begins on a somber note with the accidental death of Luke's brother, Kyle. Months later, Luke is still grieving when his mom suggests that he get some fresh air. A flash of light in the woods behind his house makes Luke curious so he leaves his porch to check it out. He stumbles upon a hapless trio of henchmen who also happen to be dead. They've dropped a device in the snow and Luke accidentally picks it up not realizing that it is a time travel device. It becomes locked on his arm and the henchmen are about to kidnap him but he's rescued in the nick of time by a crew of time-travelers that include a robot named Abraham Lincoln, a shape-shifting dinosaur and a smart-mouthed teenaged ghost girl. They are led by the scientist who invented the device. 

Readers may suffer from a bit of whiplash trying to keep up with the random but often laugh-out-loud predicaments. The crew ends up on a wild-west-styled planet peopled with giant hungry spiders so not only are they being pursued by the undead trio of hapless henchmen, but trying to avoid becoming spider food.

The art is colorful and adds to the energy. Panels are easy to follow. There is thought and depth here as Kyle makes a poignant choice at the end leaving open the possibility for more adventures.