Title: POIKO: Quests & Stuff
Author: Brian Middleton, Rebecca Taylor (Editor)
Pub. Date: April 12, 2022
Publisher: Wonderbound
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 128
Find it: Goodreads, Books2Read
A new adorable anthropomorphic adventurer awaits, and his name is Poiko! Perfect for fans of Mouse Guard, Little Robot, and Hilda!
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN “AVERAGE” DAY FOR POIKO!
Have you ever had to deliver a care package to a dragon with allergies? Have you ever been waylaid by a school of space fish? That’s just an average day for Poiko, the kingdom’s most reliable courier. The world can be a big, scary place, but it can also be wondrous. Sad things can happen, but there are always good friends to turn to, or new friends to make. And no matter what, there is always, always someone who could use your help. Poiko learns all these lessons and more every time he brushes his tail, pulls on his hoodie, and steps out into a new adventure. The philosophical whimsicality of Calvin & Hobbes meets the fantasy-scapes of Adventure Time in this modern-day classic.
Praise:
“In this sincere and exuberant fantasy adventure … Fanciful, visually engrossing backdrops and the sprawling cast of characters bring to mind classic Sunday comic aesthetics.”― PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Poiko: Quests and Stuff will delight young readers and drop them into a world that’s magical and interesting while reflecting something incredibly human in the way the characters interact with their community.” — Eliza Viera ― Gate Crashers
#1 Weekly pick from Good Comics for Kids!
Download DIGITAL ITEMS (Bookmarks, Digital Wallpapers, and Poster), HERE!
Holiday Interview with Brian Middleton:
The Winter Holidays and YOU!
What Winter holidays do you celebrate in December and January … and how do you celebrate them?
Christmas and New Years Eve. For Christmas, My wife and I wait for our daughters to wake up and then watch them as they open their gifts.. We hang out together for a little and then head to my in-laws for Lunch, Dinner and eventually more gifts! For New Years we gather at my sister-in-law’s house to play video games and ring in the new year together!
What traditions are old family traditions?
We don’t really have any old family traditions.
What traditions are ones that YOU’VE started?
My wife and I give the girls a new set of pajamas on Christmas Eve, then we make Hot Chocolate and watch a Christmas movie with them. It’s a good soft lead into the big day.
What sort of activities during the holidays are your favorites?
Just being with family. That “surrounded by family while turkey and sweet potatoes are just a reach away” feeling is one of my favorites.
What activities do you like the least?
Doing the dishes after all of that cooking!
What are your favorite holiday memories from childhood?
When I was young, my extended family would gather at my grandmother’s house. After we ate, some of us would go into the empty parking lot across the street and play “two-hand touch” football. I loved that so much.
What are your favorite holiday memories from adulthood?
Seeing my daughters experience Christmas is always a blessing. It makes the holiday feel fresh and new for me, while also drawing me back to my childhood memories.
What are your favorite holiday foods?
Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Corn and Stuffing is my ideal meal, year round 🙂
What makes these Winter holidays so special for you?
The idea of “Peace on Earth and good will towards men” is something that I love. You see a lot of charity and generosity at this time of year, which lifts my spirit. And again, I can’t say enough how much I love the big turkey dinners at this time of year!
Anything else you’d like to talk about that is holiday-related?
I hope it’s awesome for you lovely readers, and that your spirits are lifted!
The Winter Holidays and … your characters!
How do your book’s characters celebrate the holidays? Do they celebrate with family & friends?
I think Poiko and Kensie likely make the rounds to see all of the friends they have met through the year as they make their deliveries. They start early in the day and don’t get home until late. Kensie probably still has a schedule to keep them on track, but is a little more lax with how they keep to it.
What do they eat?
Whatever they can get their hands on as they make their way around. I imagine that Poiko would eat at every house and Kensie would be a little more reserved. I feel like he is probably a shy eater.
What do you think they’d like to do?
I think they end up playing music wherever and whenever the opportunity arises. I think there is a little bit of the Christmas Spirit in their day to day lives, so I don’t think they act much different during the actual holidays.
If your book’s characters visited during the holidays, how would you celebrate with them?
I would definitely get everyone together to play some punk rock Christmas carols! I can’t imagine how awesome it would be to hug my characters and tell them that I love them. That would be a great day!
Would your character like to say anything to readers for holiday cheer?
However you celebrate, I hope it’s awesome for you, and I hope your spirits are lifted!
About Brian Middleton:
Brian Middleton has been telling stories in one form or another for his whole life. His first comic book (published by his brother’s 4th grade teacher and the school’s copy machine) sold out at the distributor level. After that there was no looking back! He continued drawing as the years went on and wrote several short stories. Eventually he married the woman of his dreams and together they started a family. At this point his mind began to drift back to his first creative passion: comic books! After dipping his toe in the water with a handful of self-published and work-for-hire comics he decided to take the deep dive and create his first series, Wulfborne. The three issue mini-series, published by Scout Comics, released in February 2019 to rave reviews. The comics review site, Reading With A Flight Ring, called the book “an understated masterpiece of fiction” and called Brian “a madman, a fool and a genius”, which, as far as anyone knows, is all true. With the creation of Wulfborne complete Brian has turned his creative attention toward his next project, Poiko: Quests and Stuff. The rest of his attention is focused squarely on his one wonderful wife, two beautiful daughters and six (feel free, dear reader, to fill in here the adjective of your choice) cats.
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Giveaway Details:
1 winner will win finished copies of every book featured in the WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERBOUND from VAULT tour, US Only.
1 winner will win eBooks of every book featured in the WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERBOUND from VAULT tour from iBooks, International.
Ends January 17th, midnight EST.
Oh, I bet my kids would love this…or the youngest one, at least.
looks cute