Alison Dare and J.Torres
by BK Munn
Alison Dare was a comics series by J. Bone and J.Torres originally published by Oni Press. Now the whole series has been collected in a pair of very cute graphic novels by Tundra Press.
Alison is a girl adventurer in the Nancy Drew mold, with a little bit of Tomb Raider mixed in. The stories are fun mash-ups of adventure, humour and classic Blue Beetle comics written in J.Torres patented breezy style with solid big-foot cartooning by J.Bone.
As the publisher notes:
“Alison Dare is not your typical twelve-year-old. She’s the daughter of an archaeologist/adventurer and the masked hero known as the Blue Scarab. To top it off, she’s also the niece of an international super-spy; it’s no surprise that a craving for danger is in her blood! Unfortunately, her parents have locked her away at the prestigious St. Joan’s Academy for Girls, hoping that this would lead to a more “normal” life for their daughter.
But despite all the strict rules at the school, Alison and her best pals – Wendy and Dot – somehow manage to find themselves involved in adventures that rival those of Alison’s globetrotting, planet-saving relatives. Whether it’s magic genies, super-powered bank robbers, or a dastardly baron bent on world domination, Alison Dare delivers the best thrills since Indiana Jones and more action than Lara Croft!”
To promote the books, J.Torres has been doing a blog tour of the internets, and today he ends up on Sequential!
Sequential: J., thanks for visiting Sequential on your blog tour! What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
J. Torres: Marry into a very traditional Korean family (being neither traditional nor Korean).
Who is the most daring person you have ever met?
My wife (please see previous question).
What is the difference between a daring person and a daredevil?
Hmm… maybe a daredevil is a professional daring person like stuntman or circus performer?
What is your favourite feat of daring do?
Anything to do at a beach resort like surfing, snorkeling, or even parasailing. Because some of my writing contracts don’t allow me to do anything “risky” until the job is done, I have to be on vacation to do daring dos
When is the last time you dared to go bare?
In the shower earlier today?
What is a double dog dare and why is it so hard for Alison to resist?
It’s like extra chocolate syrup or sprinkles on a sundae of dares. Who can resist extra chocolate or sprinkles? I know I can’t!
To me, daring is a combination of courageous and foolhardy. What is your definition?
Not being afraid to try something new or different or even scary to you. It doesn’t have to be dangerous or even particularly thrilling, just something that challenges you.
Daring is also a class of Destroyer. What is your fave destroyer?
I did not know that! I just learned something new!
truth or dare? truth: What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you since writing Alison Dare?
Dare: I dare you to tell the most horrible thing about promoting Alison Dare (I double dog dare you)!
Well, there’s nothing really horrible about promoting Alison Dare so… I’ll confess an embarrassing moment: not too long ago I was at a meeting at Tundra HQ and I referred to someone named Jeff as Greg during the whole time! But no one corrected me, not even Greg. I mean, Jeff.
Thanks J!
Format: Trade Paperback
Pub Date: May 2010
Age: 8-11 years
Trim Size: 5-1/2 x 8
# of Pages: 96 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88776-934-4 (0-88776-934-9)
CDN Price: $12.99 / US Price: $10.95
Alison Dare comes to Guelph via Sequential!
Thanks for being part of the blog tour!
J.
t’was a pleasure! 🙂