Apocalypse Taco

An entertaining blend of humor and horror drives this whirlwind tale of science gone awry. When middle school–aged twins Axl and Ivan set out with high schooler Sid on a 1:30 a.m. food run for the crew of a high school production of Brigadoon, things go very wrong. The provisions that the kids secure from a mysterious Taco Bear restaurant abruptly morph into strange tentacled beasts that attack them. After joining forces with a many-limbed grad student, the kids embark on a journey into a gooey alternate world created by a mad scientist’s legions of bioengineered squid-bees. The narrative isn’t always clear: the bewildering opening act is followed by an info dump midsection that delivers exposition via nested explanatory stories. Still, the plot’s silliness balances each scenario’s underlying terror, and artwork by Hale (the Hazardous Tales series) helps maintain this equilibrium with myriad funny details—including a cargo kilt–wearing, snow scraper–wielding protagonist—and the juxtaposition of bare suburban settings against otherworldly landscapes filled with writhing, distorted creatures. Weird, freaky fun. Ages 8–12. [em](Mar.) [/em]