Prose (Story): The over-achieving Bright Family - scientist/explorer mom Banira, inventor/scientist dad Ben, and their precocious children (12-year-old Nia, who works 24/7 to prove she can keep up with her genius family, and Jayden, 10-year-old kaiju and robot fanatic already years ahead of his classmates and bored because of it) - face their greatest challenge yet when Mom and Dad are accidentally sucked into a malfunctioning portal to another universe ... and their kids, along with nanny robot Dusty, set off the through the multiverse to find them, in this first graphic novel based on the popular Epic Originals series.
Don's (Review): Though things seemed to start off a bit slowly at first, there is a lot to love in this graphic novel about a family of superintelligent geniuses who still need to get their act together as a family unit. We're introduced to the kids first, and it's easy to like Nia for how hard she tries to keep up with the family's rep, while Jayden's brattiness, we soon realize, is partially because he's so smart that he's bored in school at a grade below his current skill level. When it seems Nia is behind the malfunctioning portal that sends their parents away, guilt and worry both guide the kids and Dusty to go in search of them - and here the story picks up considerably, as we see the different (sometimes cute, sometimes not so cute - sometimes way too cute) universes the kids encounter, always seemingly one step behind Mom and Dad. What makes the book great is the kids also take it upon themselves to stop and try to help wrongs they see in each world they land in, trying to do what's right even if it puts them behind in their own search, and it's these moments - any of the moments that are more about family, relationships, and taking time for both - where the book shines, coming to life with humor and heart. Dusty is also way cool, and as the Brights are a biracial family as well it was great to see that rep here! But at heart this fun, funny, ultimately sweet graphic novel succeeds because the Brights - by the end - just may set aside their brains long enough to come together as a loving family, as no greater power exists. Hoping for a sequel, if not a series, soon! (Available September 7) 4/5 stars
NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
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