Papercutz has announced Nothing Can Stop… The Ape!, a middle-grade graphic novel by written by Tom Sniegoski (Young Hellboy) and Jeannine Acheson (The Complete Alice in Wonderland), with art by Craig Rousseau (Young Hellboy). Inspired by classic Saturday morning cartoons, the book follows a boy whose mother is possessed by an evil goddess, forcing him to unleash her rival, a gorilla god of chaos.
The official synopsis reads, “Maxwell Morgan, a twelve-year-old boy […] will go to any lengths to save his mom (who has been possessed by the spirit of Thuuna, an angry primordial goddess), even going as far as freeing the goddess’s immortal enemy from his magical prison. With his faithful French bulldog and four primitive cave people gifted with the powers of the elements, Maxwell must convince the newly-released gorilla god of chaos, ghraagg’endah, to help them save the world from Thuuna’s genocidal intentions and free his mother from the goddess’s clutches.”
Sniegoski states, “Nothing Can Stop… The Ape! has been stomping around inside my noggin for quite some time — probably at least 25 years — but I could never find the proper tone; it was just too dark. It took me teaming up with the amazing Jeannine S. Acheson to finally find what I’d been searching for the whole time. Together we figured out what the concept needed, and along with Craig Rousseau, we found the missing ingredient — FUN!”
Acheson, who’s worked with Sniegoski on books before like Soul Taker (published by Papercutz’s parent company Mad Cave), elaborates, “When Tom asked me to work on this concept that he’d had for such a long time, I couldn’t resist. Gods, archaeology, French bulldogs, giant apes? What’s not to love? Craig Rousseau’s artwork brought all of our crazy ideas to vivid life, and I’m so excited for readers to meet Maxwell, Harvey, and the rest of the gang!”
Rousseau adds, “[The book] was an absolute blast to draw. What more could an artist ask for!? It’s got prehistoric elemental superheroes, ancient gods, monsters, and a boy and his dog! Working with Tom is always an adventure, and having Jeannine on board only makes it better. Buckle up, readers, you’re in for some Saturday-morning fun!”
Nothing Can Stop… The Ape! will prove unstoppable in paperback and hardcover on June 9. You can check out a five-page preview in the meantime below, and check out Sniegoski & Rousseau’s next project Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures, when it begins on May 20.
