The Mighty Skullboy Army - Jacob Chabot

The Mighty Skullboy Army
Volume 1
Jacob Chabot
Dark Horse Books
ISBN 9781593076290

This is one of the few books in the last year that really disappointed me. The publisher blurb states: "Brazen robots! Hostile corporate takeovers! Ill-fated interns! Criminally insane turnips! Distinctly unhelpful helper monkeys! And hats, dear God, hats aplenty! All this and more awaits any brave soul ready and willing to enlist in the ranks of the Mighty Skullboy Army! How do you sign up, you ask? Just purchase this book, absorb its nefarious bounty (we recommend using the eyes-to-brain method), and say hello to your new lord and master, Skullboy! If he's not home from elementary school yet, be sure to pick up a handy pager. You will be called upon when needed. Oh, and be sure to beef up on that health insurance." What it feels like is a cheap blend of Calvin and Hobbes with Pinky and the Brain. Yet without the intellectualism of Calvin or the humor found in Pinky. The illustrations were okay, the story so-so and overall not really worth it. I won't be buying volume 2 if it ever comes out!

Brandi Dougherty - Author profile

Brandi Dougherty wears many hats in the publishing industry, author, editor, content selection and more. Born and raised in the south west of Montana, she started writing stories at the age of 2, and she has never really stopped. She has lived and worked in providence, Rhode Island and New York City. She now resides on the west coast and enjoys the sunshine and coastal weather. At Book reviews and more we thank her for taking a few minutes to answer out questions.

1. Brandi you have held many roles in the publishing industry, Editor at Manisses Communication Group, Senior Editor at Scholastic, Assistant Director at Scholastic, Writer and now Licensing Editor at Disney. What has been your favorite experience across those roles and why?

The experience of interacting directly with teachers and kids in my job at Scholastic Book Clubs was invaluable. I also had such a bird's eye view of publishing in my job there. I could see what every publisher was publishing and had access to books from everywhere. I really miss that!

2. What advice would you give to someone in high school or university who wants to work in the publishing industry?

I wish I had done an internship at a publishing house or a small press while I was in college. Internships are a great way to "try out" a company or a type of job and to gain some experience for your resume before you start the real job hunt. It also really helps to make connections and network that way. The children's publishing industry is very welcoming but it can be tough to get that first foot in the door.

3. What advice do you wish an artist had passed on to you early in your career, which you only learned through experience?

I wish I had learned some time-management skills early on (and still do!). I always marvel at people who can be productive in their work and their writing so much of the time.

4. Who were some of your biggest supporters and contributors to your early success?

My family has always been my biggest supporter. My parents have encouraged me to write since I was very young. They would always say, "there's an idea for your first novel!" And my sister has been a huge supporter in my adult life as a writer. I also had some great friends and colleagues at Scholastic who pushed me and mentored me when I first started writing books for Book Clubs.

5. What authors influenced your writing style and format?

I think the authors who helped influence me the most are the middle grade authors I read when I was a kid. The Baby-sitter's Club first came out when I was in fourth grade and I really connected with those stories. I could read them over and over again (and did!). Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary were also favorites and influencers. They created such clear character worlds and stories that were so easy to live inside of.

6. What does your writing process look like? Takes us through the steps from idea to publishing?

Sometimes I start with a story idea and sometimes I start with a character. But my next step is usually to flesh out who my protagonist is and what her specific traits and motivations are. I try to write a character bio for all of my characters before I begin writing so I really understand who they are. Then I write a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline. This helps me see the arc of my plot and see what holes need to be filled in. Obviously my story changes and new holes appear as I actually write and I find that a lot of my outline ends up being the story background that only I need to know, but it's a very helpful place to start for me. Then I start writing and usually find myself revising as I go. Once I have a first draft I revise, revise, revise.

7. Do you use a playlist when writing? Are certain books written while predominantly listing to the same music?

I haven't used a specific playlist while writing my books, but there are certain musicians that I like to play while I write. I like music that doesn't take up a lot of space in my mind while I'm writing but that I enjoy hearing over and over again. Two of my favorite musicians to write by are Ryan Adams and Bonnie Prince Billy.

8. What were some of your favorite authors in your teen years who helped shape you?

Surprisingly, I didn't read much as a teen. I wrote in my journal (lots of tortured teen stuff of course), but I didn't have many teachers in high school who were big supporters of reading. Most of the reading I did at that time was for school - like Crime and Punishment (which felt like exactly that). I read so much YA literature now and I think part of the reason is because I didn't have that as a teen myself. I think teens now are so lucky to have such an amazing and diverse genre to choose from and so many of the books being written for teens really are having an impact and helping shape who they are, and that' s really exciting!

9. What are some of your favorite books and authors now?

Some favorites from recent years are: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor, Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, the Ivy and Bean series by Annie Barrows, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and just to throw an adult book into the mix (since I do actually read adult books once and awhile), Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann.

10. If you could only recommend 10 books to a reader looking to be a well rounded and whole person what books would you suggest?

Wow. This is a really tough question. I think reading is so personal and the books that really impact and shape young people are very specific to their life situations. I took a stab at a list from a middle-grade perspective. I think if you asked me this question every day for a year I'd come up with a different list, so here's today's list:

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

11. What new projects are under your development as an editor?

I'm working on a new series of English Language learning titles at Disney that will be sold in markets around the world.

12. What is your favorite project that you have worked on as an editor? Why?

I had the opportunity to help create a lot of fun middle grade fiction and nonfiction in Book Clubs at Scholastic and that was definitely a favorite part of my job.

13. What new projects are you working on as a writer?

I'm actually trying my hand at a chapter book series at the moment. I'm really excited about the characters I've created - a very different boy and girl who are forced to spend their summer together. It's been a lot of fun planning their adventures and misadventures so far.

14. Three of your books are only available through Scholastic's book club, do you wish they had wider availability?

The funny thing is that my books that are only available in the Scholastic school market have actually sold quite a few copies! My novel The Valentine's Day Disaster has sold over 50,000 copies through school channels in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, so the availability is pretty wide! I also really like that my books are so affordable in the school market - it's important to me that kids have access to inexpensive books. It would be fun to see these titles in book stores though. The first time I saw one of my books on the bookstore shelf was such a proud and exciting moment.

15. Your books are not currently available in electronic formats but many publishers are now starting to almost make this standard practice. What are your impressions of ebooks?

I fully embrace ebooks and digital book formats. I regularly use a Kindle and an iPad and I love the things publishers and media professionals are doing with children's content for the iPad. But I have also seen the look kids have when they are carrying around their very own book or being read to in someone's lap with a big picture book between them. That is tough to replace. But there's no denying that digital books are here to stay and I'd rather take part in consuming and thinking about new ideas for this platform than pretend it isn't there.

16. With eBooks come the distribution of them through torrents and other illegal means; is this a concern for you, both as an author and editor? Do you actively monitor the issue?

I don't actively monitor this, but I should probably start paying more attention. I'm sure it will become a bigger issue as more ebooks are created.

17. Off topic but what are some of your favorite films?

The Hitchcock film Notorious is an all-time favorite. Other favorites are Rushmore, Quick Change, Elf, and the Anne of Green Gables series adaptation.

18. If you were stuck on a desert island and could only have 10 books to read again and again, what books would you want with you?

Wow. Another tough question. I guess this is my today's list as well!

The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Olivia by Ian Falconer
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Birds of America by Lorrie Moore
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

19. What advice would you give to young aspiring authors and artists?

Read, read, read. Carry a notebook and write down anything that strikes you - even if it seems silly. And always push yourself to try something new, experience a new place, or challenge yourself to learn about someone who is different from you.

Thank you again Brandi for answering our questions and best of luck on all your future endeavours.

Books By Brandi Dougherty:

Miss Fortune - Poison Apple Book 3

The Friendship Experiment
The Valentine's Day Disaster
The Friendship Survival Guide

Littlest Pilgrim
Littlest Christmas Star

Tunnels - Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams

Tunnels
(AKA The Highfield Mole)
Tunnels Book 1
Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
The Chicken House an imprint of
Scholastic
ISBN 9780439871778

Few books that I have read were as compelling and addictive as this one, and with 3 more published in the series and a 5th on the way, it will provide many more hours of entertainment. This book was hard to put down. I just kept saying to myself as reading, one more section, one more chapter, and yet kept reading when I should have put it down. I had to stop reading it at work because I would not want my break or lunch to end. The story is fast paced, the plot twists uncanny, the characters incredibly interesting and the concept chilling.

Will Burrows (pun intended I am sure) is obsessed with archaeological digs, a passion his father has encouraged. His father is the curator at the local museum and dreams of finding something to put his academic career back on track. But they dig in secret, hiding their tunnels and their finds. Will works on projects for his father but also has his own side digs in areas of interest for himself. And in some ways he feels more at home underground than above. But when his father goes missing, and Will discovers a mysterious tunnel and journal, he and his friend Chester go digging, looking for Dr. Burrows. What they find will surprise them and just might cost them their lives.

The greatest strength of the story is the uniqueness of the story line. The plot is so enticing. Discovering an underground world and civilization is not a new plot, but how this one came about, and its interactions with topsiders, is unique and fascinating. Overall it was an excellent read and I cannot wait to read more books in the series. (Note this book was originally published as The Highfield Mole.)

Books in the Tunnels Series:
Tunnels
Deeper
Freefall
Closer
Spiral (2012)

(UK Covers on left and US covers on right.)

Zombies Calling - Faith Erin Hicks

Zombies Calling
Faith Erin Hicks
SLG Publishing
ISBN 9781593620790

After reading The War At Ellsmere, by Faith Erin Hicks, I was eagerly anticipating diving into this graphic novel. But, it was not quite what I was expecting. I am not sure what I wanted, but I feel I did not get it with this book. It was well written, and the illustrations are amazing. The joke of comparing university life to being a zombie and stuck in a zombie film was charming at first but wore thin. I really liked the three main characters and hope Faith returns to them in a future volume, for I would definitely pick it up. I loved the info at the back of the book about the development of the story and the characters. I will read it again, but it is not one of my favorite graphic novels.

Books By Faith Erin Hicks:

The War At Ellsmere
Zombie Calling

Online Comics:

ICE
Demonology
Random Comics

The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan - Kane Chronicles 1

The Red Pyramid
Kane Chronicles Book 1
Rick Riordan
Hyperion
ISBN 9781423113386

Carter and Sadie Kane have their world turned upside down in one night. They are siblings raised apart. Carter was raised while travelling the world with their father, an Egyptologist. Sadie was raised with their maternal grandparents in London England. On one of the two days a year they are allowed to spend together, instantly their lives are changed forever. On that fateful night the Egyptian God, Set, and his siblings are released from their long entrapment. Set traps their father and they must find a way to free him.

Exploring a slew of Egyptian myths and legends, the story is a history lesson wrapped in a thrilling adventure that spans time and continents. In a world where Egyptian magic still exists, and all the old legends have more truth than just myths, it is superbly written and intensely addictive; this story is amazing and leaves you desperate for book two.

Books By Rick Riordhan:

The Kane Chronicles
The Red Pyramid
The Kane Chronicles Book 2 - May 2011
The Kane Chronicles Book 3 - May 2012

The 39 Clues series
The Maze of Bones
The Black Book of Buried Secrets
Vespers Rising (2011)

Tres Navarre Series
Big Red Tequila
Widower's Two-Step
The Last King of Texas
The Devil Went Down to Austin
Southtown
Mission Road
Rebel Island

Camp Half-Blood Series Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian
The Heroes of Olympus
The Lost Hero
The Son of Neptune
Companion books
The Demigod Files
Demigods and Monsters
The Ultimate Guide
Movie
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Graphic novels
The Lightning

Barry Lyga - Author Profile

Barry Lyga is the author of a number of Young Adult and teen novels that all seem to garner numerous accolades. Born in 1971 he now lives and writes in the southwest. His books explore many intriguing issues, death, dying, deek and Goth subcultures, teacher student affairs and more. His books are awesome and we thanks him for taking some time from writing his current project that he affectionately calls 'the book that will kill me' to answer a few questions for us at Book Reviews and More.

1. Barry you often give writing advice on your blog, in fact you have over 40 articles on the topic. What advice do you wish an artist had passed on to you early in your career, which you only learned through experience?

Probably the best advice was encapsulated in my very first blog post on writing advice: It takes a million bad words to get to the point where you write something worthwhile. I never really understood that until it happened to me. I was given that advice by a friend sometime in my mid-twenties, but by then I'd been trying to get published for a long time (and failing ? my first story submission was at the age of twelve). So, I wish someone had told me that years earlier ? I might have worked a little harder and not been as easily depressed by those early failures and rejections.

2. If you had not become a writer what do you think you would be doing for a living?

I shudder to think of it! I have tried other ways of earning a living and none of them were even remotely pleasant. They all sucked. I suppose if I couldn't be a writer, I would try to be involved in some other sort of creative endeavor ? videogames or something like that.

3. One of the greatest strengths in your books are the characters, they are so solid and believable. The characters you create, are they reflections of people you know, composites of different people you know or entirely your creations?

The answer is...yes! All of the above. Some are reflections, some are composites. Some are versions of me. And some of them ? like Kyra ? are entirely created from whole cloth.

4. What were some of your favorite authors in your teen years who helped shape you?

It was an eclectic mix as a kid: Paul Levitz and Alan Moore (comic book writers). Joe Haldeman and Stephen King (genre writers). Bruce Springsteen. And believe it or not, Edgar Allan Poe and John Milton.

5. What authors influenced your writing style and format?

I'm not sure how to answer this in a fair and accurate way. There are so many influences on me that I can't really point to elements of my style and say which one(s) contributed to each different element. I think all of the authors listed above influenced me in big ways, but I was also influenced by John Barth and Tom Perrotta.6. What does your writing process look like? Takes us through the steps from idea to publishing?

The process of writing the actual book itself was discussed pretty thoroughly on my blog. Getting TO the writing from the idea is sort of tricky. What many people don't understand is that an idea is the easy part. Ideas are cheap. The tough part is figuring out which ideas are worth pursuing, which ones are valuable and interesting and worth the time and effort it will take me to write and you to read. Usually when I have an idea, I just try to put it out of my head, believe it or not. I figure that if an idea is worthwhile, it will stick with me. If time goes by and I keep returning to that idea and adding to it and obsessing over it, then I figure it's probably worth delving into. At that point, the process from my blog takes over.

7. Do you use a playlist when writing? Are certain books written while predominantly listing to the same music?

I'm a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and Warren Zevon, both wordsmiths in their own ways. When I'm writing, I tend to listen to a random mix of their music, but I also like to crank some old eighties/nineties rap, like Public Enemy or Ice-T. The hard bass gets my blood pumping and helps me slip into a writing rhythm.

8. What is your favorite character you created and why?

Probably Kyra, from The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl and its sequel, Goth Girl Rising. You know, when I created her, she was only supposed to be in the book for a few chapters, to perform a sort of wish-fulfillment role. She was going to be for Fanboy the friend and the impetus that I wished I'd had at the age. Her job was to say some really awful, really true things and then disappear. But she wouldn't go away. She wouldn't shut up. I found myself falling in love with her. So she became more important than originally intended. Then my agent read the first draft of the book and said that there should be even MORE Kyra, so I added even more of her and that just cemented her in my soul forever.

9. I once heard Madeleine L'Engle state that her characters were real to her and almost an extended part of her family, she said once that at the dinner table she sat up and stated "Meg just finished her PhD." Are your characters real to you, do you ever get glimpses of what they are up to now, or once you finish a book is that it?

I wouldn't say I get glimpses of what they're up to "now," but I have an inkling of what's in store for them down the road. These aren't definitive, written-in-stone facts, mind you, but more like notions. I have a sort-of notion for how Josh from BOY TOY will turn out in college. I have a notion of what Fanboy and Goth Girl's senior year in high school will be like. I'm pretty sure I know what fate holds for Kross and the Council of Fools. But nothing as dramatic as Ms. L'Engle's! And at this point, nothing strong enough to hang another book on for any of those characters.

10. What of your books is your favorite and why?

Impossible to say, really. They're all too different from each other to compare them fairly. I will say that Goth Girl Rising has a very special place in my heart because 1) it's about Kyra, and 2) a lot of people said I wouldn't be able to write convincingly from a girl's point of view, but now I get e-mails from girls who tell me I did.

11. If you could only recommend 10 books to a reader looking to be a well rounded and whole person what books would you suggest?

That's tough! I'm not sure it's my place to tell anyone what books would make them a well-rounded person. Hell, I'm not sure I can even say that I'm a well-rounded person. And with only ten books… There's such a wealth of information and knowledge in the world that it's almost impossible to be well-rounded reading so few books. But how about this ? I'll offer up ten books that would make someone an interesting person:

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
A History of God by Karen Armstrong
1984 by George Orwell
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Henry V by William Shakespeare
Njalssaga by Anonymous
Parallel Myths by J.F. Bierlien
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut
The Unfinished Game by Keith Devlin

There you go. A smattering of great literature, history, religion, and even math. But it's woefully Western-oriented and white-male-dominant, lacking a true diversity. (It's not quite as bad as it appears at first blush because the Armstrong and Bierlien books delve into Eastern history and religion, but it's still not anything that's going to result in a well-rounded person.)

12. With you comic and graphic novel background, could you list 10 comics or graphic novels someone should read who is just starting to read them?

Actually...no! Believe it or not, I get asked this question all the time and the thing is this: Comics are not a monolith. There's no one comic or list of ten comics that will appeal to everyone. It's like saying, "What are ten books someone who's just starting to read books should read?" Your answer changes depending on the person's age, literacy level, interests, previous media experience, etc.

13. In Archvillian, you make the main character the bad guy, yet readers find themselves cheering for him. Do you think you can sustain that excitement through the trilogy?

I hope so! The point of Archvillain is evolution. Right now, Kyle appears to be a bad guy who sees himself as a good guy. So will he become a true good guy? Will he embrace evil? How will his perspective on himself change, and how will the perspectives of those around him change? Each book tilts a little in a certain direction, so we'll see what people think by the end of the third book.

14. Your books are also marketed mainly to teen and youth and yet I have read them and recommended them too many adult friends who loved them. Do you see yourself writing a book aimed at a the general fiction audience?

Some would argue I've already done it ? Boy Toy in particular ended up in a lot of adult hands. But, yeah, the time will come when I write an adult book. I already know what it will be, in fact. Now I just need to find the time to write it!

15. How did Glen Gordon Caron win you over to option Boy Toy to make a film of the book?

He was just honest with me. We had lunch and he told me what he loved about the book and then we talked about certain aspects of it that would be difficult to translate to film. And what was really refreshing was that he didn't try to tell me how easy it would be; he told me it would be hard. I respected that enormously and I knew that it meant he would take it seriously.

16. Would you like to see the Fanboy and Goth Girl, Goth Girl Rising done as films or miniseries?

I think it would be fun to see each book as a movie.

17. I once had a university professor state that the true goal of a university education should be to teach one to learn how to think. What would you state should be the goal of higher education and why?

I would add the word "critically" to that, but, yeah, I generally agree. I get asked by kids a lot of times: "What should I major in in college in order to be an author? Do I have to major in English?" And I always tell them to study whatever they find interesting. That it's not so much WHAT you learn as that you learn how think critically, how to examine the world in some way, how to come to conclusions, how to be a reasonable and thoughtful human being.

18. If you were stuck on a desert island and could only have 10 books to read again and again, what books would you want with you?

Yikes! That's a tough one. Just off the top of my head, I would say:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth
The Bible (mostly 'cause it's long!)
Paradise Lost by John Milton
'salem's Lot by Stephen King
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Bullfinch's Mythology
Njalssaga by Anonymous
Fortune and Glory by Brian Michael Bendis (because you have to have something funny)

Thank you again Barry for answering the questions and blessings on you and your future projects!


Books by Barry Lyga:
I Hunt Killers:
I Hunt Killers (2012)
Game - I Hunt Killers #2 (2013)
Blood of My Blood - I Hunt Killers # 3 (2014)

Every Hunter is Hunter (2026)

…

I Hunt Killers Short Stories:
Down Time (2018)
Lucky Day (2014)
Career Day (2012)
Neutral Mask (2013)
Blood Boy (2014)

…

Before the Hunt (2025)

…

Brookdale High:
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (2006)
Boy Toy (2007)
Hero Type (2008)
Goth Girl Rising (2009)
Bang (2017)

...

Archvillian:
Archvillain #1 (2010)
The Mad Mask - Archvillian #2 (2011)
Yesterday Again - Archvillian #3 (2013)

...

The Flash Series:
Hocus Pocus (2017)
Johnny Quick (2018)
Tornado Twins (2018)

…

Crossover Crisis Series:

Green Arrow's Perfect Shot (2019)

Supergirl's Sacrifice (2020)

The Legends of Forever (2021)

…

Other Books By Barry Lyga:
Graphic Novels in Your Media Center: A definitive Guide (with Alison A.W. Lyga - 2004)
Wolverine: Worst Day Ever (2009)
MangaMan (with Colleen Dorren 2011)
Unsoul'd (2013)
After The Red Rain (2015)
The Secret Sea (2016)
Thanos Titan Consumed (2018)
The Hive (2019)
...

Short Story Project 2017
The Ghosts at 95
Loving The University
The Ideas of March
Four Minutes
Pulse vs. the Killing Fiend
Her Decade
The Life Cycle of Stars (Ignition)
Bobby
When I Die
The Autopsying of Michael Edward Morgan
Meet Me Tonight
...

Contributed to:
Geektastic (2009)
Who Done It? (2013)

Author Profile and Interview with Barry Lyga
Author Profile and Interview with Randall Banner

Airborn - Kenneth Oppel

Airborn
Matt Cruse Book 1
Kenneth Oppel
Harper Collins
Browse Inside
ISBN 9780060531805

It was weird going back and reading the first book in this trilogy after reading the third novel, but it was well worth it. In this story, set in an alternative world where airplanes were never developed and airships still rule the skies, Kenneth Oppel has created an amazing world, full of adventure and wonder.

The story focuses around a trip from Lions Gate to Australia aboard the ship Aurora. Young Matt Cruse and Miss Kate de Vries meet on this journey. In this story we have pirate attacks, ship wreck, an uncharted island, undiscovered species and much, much more. With amazing characters and plot twists I could not put the book down. It is a great read and another awesome book by Mr. Oppel.














Books by Kenneth Oppel:

Half Brother (2010)
The Devil's Cure (2000)
Dead Water Zone (1992)
The Live-Forever Machine (1990)

Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein
This Dark Endeavour (2011)
Such Wicked Intent (2012)

The Silverwing Saga
Silverwing (1997)
Sunwing (1999)
Firewing (2002)
Darkwing (2007)

Airborn Series
Airborn (2004)
Skybreaker (2005)
Starclimber (2008)

Children's Fiction:

The King's Taster (2009)
Peg and the Yeti (2004)
Peg and the Whale (2000)
Emma's Emu (1995)
Galactic Snapshots (1993)
Cosmic Snapshots (1993)
Follow That Star (1992)
Cosimo Cat (1990)
Colin's Fantastic Video Adventure (1985)

Barnes and the Brains
A Bad Case of Ghosts (1993)
A Strange Case of Magic (1994)
A Crazy Case of Robots (1994)
An Incredible Case of Dinosaurs (1994)
A Weird Case of Super-Goo (1997)
A Creepy Case of Vampires (2002)