Time Shifters is an all age graphic novel with humor and action

Have you heard the one about one of the best original all age graphic novels of the year that starts out with a tragic death? That set up doesn’t seem like the sort of graphic novel magic, but it really works here. Time Shifters is the story of a pre-teen boy named Luke who joins forces with a robot Abraham Lincoln, dinosaur, a sarcastic ghost and a dinosaur.

 

Stop me if you heard this before, but a robot Abraham Lincoln, dinosaur, sarcastic ghost and a dinosaur walk into a bar. Except this bar is in the old west and they’re accompanied by a modern day pre-teen boy names Luke. Oh, and this group is being chased through time and space by Vampire Napoleon, a mummy and an angry-but equally funny skeleton who’s wearing a red spaceman suit. When the Free Comic Book Day preview for Time Shifters came out I was incredibly excited to read the entire graphic novel. Now that the graphic novel is out its obvious that Time Shifters will be one of the 10 best all age graphic novels of the year.

This is all the more incredible because Time Shifters starts out with a death. Kyle is Luke’s brother and he falls to his death after trying to defend Luke against some bullies. There’s a funeral, his mother and Luke mourn and it sets the book up for a very somber vibe.

That portion of the book is brief, maybe 10% of the entire graphic novel. It’s all the more impressive that Time Shifters manages to be a giddy, funny, roller coaster ride of a book given the opening. During the mourning process, Luke goes to the woods at night where he sees a light. It’s here where he stumbles across Vampire Napoleon and the bad guys. Stumbles, literally because, the bad guy’s trip over Luke and pick up his flashlight instead of the mysterious Demobilizer that they were carrying.

The Demobilizer is something that allows Napoleon’s boss to invade other worlds and now the Earth kid has it. But before Luke can be captured by them Lincoln and the others materialize in the forest, open up a portal and disappear. Of course the others also have a device that will allow them to track them, but a grand all age chase through time and space starts out.

Here readers get the thrust of the title, Time Shifters. The two teams land in an alternate world version of the Wild West, complete with alien miners, arid conditions, small towns and kid friendly monsters. This is a fun graphic novel for ages 7 and up. That age will be able to read it without help, laugh at the jokes, not get scared of dead bad guys and understand the death of Luke’s brother. Again, before you get too down on that fact, keep in mind the title of the book, Time Shifters.

The ending manages to keep the door open for another book, while still recognizing the sacrifices that people have to make. Granted these sacrifices aren’t ones that kids can realistically do, but it lets young readers know that nothing is permanent; even if you’re traveling through time with Robot Abraham Lincoln.