Lost In The Future V01: The Storm by Damian and illustrated by Alex Fuentes is a fun adventure story in a graphic novel format, that is short, (maybe not sweet) but has some interesting segments. It has the action and the friendship aspects that keep things moving without being “too much” adventure and no plot, or all plot and not enough action.
The art is the real drawback for me with the too Nickelodeon-like and/or Uncle Grandpa/Gravity Falls/Steven Universe/The Amazing World of Gumball/etc. images. From the publisher description: (they are) colorful, immersive illustrations and (has) easy to read text. And that easy to read text is what makes up for my lack of liking the illustrations. However, the (strong) 8 to 13-14 old reader will most likely get a big kick out of it. You can judge the inside art by the cover and figure out your audience fairly quickly.
The story itself is not new: the school bully bullies the nerds and they get into a situation that makes them rely on each other for help. The five kids find themselves in the future that strongly resembles a medieval European world. And some alien-like creatures that would make Star Wars (not) jealous of their creepiness (but yes, they are creepy. And have big teeth). Therefore it is realistic fantasy with humor and adventure tossed in for fun. There is even a small (very small) romantic interlude that adds to the humor.
The second book Lost in the Future 2: Trapped! is due in May 2025 and I’m looking forward to continuing the gang’s story. Read via an online reader copy.