Please and Thank You (Paradise)

Background

This is one of a set of four cardboard books for kids produced in 2002 by Paradise Press and featuring the Incredible Hulk. This story also stars Spider-Girl.

The books are landscape format, 7" wide by 5" tall. The top and right hand edges are die-cut with a wavy profile. There are seven leaves in the book, making 12 inner pages of content, plus the front and back outside covers.

Story Details

Hulk and Spider-Girl are eating burgers at the tree house, when Hulk grunts at Spider-Girl "Hey, give Hulk some ketchup!" This leads to follow-up conversation that has occurred many times at my house.

"What do you say?" asks Spider-Girl.

Hulk thinks for a second. "Now?" he answered?

A quick lesson in manners follows, with particular emphasis on "Please" and "Thank You". Hulk is grateful for the lesson, since just 'cos he's big and green doesn't mean he also wants to be rude!

General Comments

Surprisingly delightful. Paradise Press has more of a reputation for quantity rather than quality. In particular, their endless series of repetitive low-grade Spider-Man coloring and activity books in the early 2000's (Spider-Man Color/Activity Books (Paradise)) became the poster-child for poor Spidey art work.

By contrast, Jeff Albrecht's art in this book appears at first glance to be careless and sloppy, but a little closer examination shows that to be deceptive. In fact it becomes clear that the work is deliberately relaxed in order to appeal to kids, but is actually very effective. Writer Michi Fujimoto has scripted many other such cardboard kids books for Paradise Press, and once again does a good job here.

Overall Rating

Much better than I had expected at first glance. Four webs.