Graphic Novel Review: Peculiar Woods: The Ancient Underwater City by Andrés J. Colmenares

Posted on February 25, 2025 at 6:45 am by Gene Ambaum

Peculiar Woods: The Ancient Underwater City by Andrés J. Colmenares. Andrews McMeel, 2023. 9781524879297. 160pp.

The beginning of this graphic novel is so unexpectedly strange. Iggie is being dropped off in Peculiar Woods by the woman who raised him so he can live with his “Aunt Jill,” who is really his mom. On the drive there they pass a flooded city and a neighbor girl wearing snorkeling gear who is taking notes. Iggie soon gets lost in his new back yard where he’s frightened by something lurking in the woods. Not too much later he’s talking to a rock, dealing with a “ghost,” and then being told some startling news by a chair. Then, with his new friends, Iggie explores a flooded town as he tries to help two lost chess pieces find their way home.

Warning: if you’re afraid of beavers, this book is not for you.