In Cardboard, the creator of Earthworm Jim (Doug TenNapel) gives us a graphic novel about cardboard creations that come to life. It’s full of heart and off-beat quips.

I’m slowly getting into comic books and graphic novels, thanks to Gene Luen Yang and G. Willow Wilson most recently, but also the longtime influence of Ben Edlund (The Tick!) and TenNapel.

One thing I’m loving about comics that I can also see being a big downside is the referential nature. Here’s a perfect example from Cardboard that I just loved:

Of course if you’re not down with Tolkien, you’ll be completely confused by the Lord of the Rings reference. But it’s kind of hilarious in the off-beat, quirky hero tone of Cardboard. Good stuff.