What I Like About You: Cookie And The Kid

I’ve only done two of What I Like About You articles so far (Alpha Flight and Young Justice), and this is the first about a series that isn’t yet finished – but I want to draw attention to Cookie And The Kid while it’s still going. So far, so great.

Cookie And The Kid is a comic released by Antarctic Press, written and drawn by Alex Kosakowski. As at this writing, either six issues have been released, or I’ve missed something. The comic tells the story of a little girl looking for her dog in an elvish Barrow – from the elves’ point of view. And sometimes, the dog’s. That gives it a nice perspective.

The title Cookie refers to at least three things; there are two characters named Cookie: our main POV elf and the girl’s dog. There are also actual cookies involved; but there’s only one ‘the Kid’ (so far).

The girl is as alien to our main characters as they would be to us; the comic shows this nicely by having her speak in gibberish.

Sure, it’s probably a language we’d know, but the comic turns it unfamiliar, keeping the focus on the elves and avoiding the cliché of characters coming from across space and time and speaking whatever language is spoken wherever they land.

We learn about them through how they talk to each other, rather than from the naïve newcomer. Each have their own issues and desires and needs, whether it’s getting away with pranks on the king or working out how to build a ballista. Some of the issues have back-up stories about the side characters, which is nice and fills out the space well.

While the series is aimed at kids, it’s fun to read as an adult, with a charming story that celebrates imagination and fun; as Grace Jones might say, Let Joy And Innocence Prevail.

The series introduces us to new characters at a rate of roughly one per issue, so we never feel overwhelmed with all the new characters we have to get to know. It’s a great way to do it.

The elves’ obsession with cookies is relatable, especially to the target audience.

I love the artwork; there’s a lot of detail and expression and imagination behind it. Kosakowski has skill and imagination aplenty; in the designs as well as the story itself. I keep talking about the imagination here – I’ve seen artists with a lot of skill and no imagination. Kosakowski leaps well above them, having plenty of both.

Alex Kosakowski has done art on one other title that I’m aware of (La Route De Tibilissi), but I’ve not read that yet. There are also a couple of other things listed on his website, like Bad Times In The American Southwest, and Strange Japanese World, but I’m honestly not sure if they’re comics, or computer games, or just him playing around with ideas or what.

The colouring lets it down. I mean, where is the realism? Where’s the different colour schemes?

No… seriously, it does very well working with the limitations of a black and white book. It’s shaded enough to enhance the artwork, giving it some depth without overpowering the line art. The shading complements the artwork nicely.

Christian Representation:

None. By setting the in a completely separate culture, Cookie And The Kid avoids representing any one group over another. There’s only one human character, and we know only that she’s lost her dog and is very sad and worried.

This is a great series, and I look forward to it going on for quite a while.