Captain Danger and the Stupid Shadow

Captain Danger, whose motto is ‘make every day a daring day’, tells the reader that he is going to tell them about ‘my most hair – raising adventure yet’ and hopes they are not ‘a scaredy cat’ and, if we were in any doubt, the next double page spread simply has a big red danger sign! But the next page shows Captain Danger simply hanging up his washing apparently with the help of his shadow and a dog, who we learn is his faithful pet Django. This does not seem very dangerous, but it is definitely bizarre! Zany and quirky are other adjectives that spring to mind, as this curious cross between a picturebook and illustrated fiction unfolds. It is not a graphic novel either, but the vivid illustrations, which vary from full page to vignettes interspersing the chunks of handwritten text, will appeal to fans of Jamie Smart et al. The washing incident, which begins this tale, happens on the night before the Captain’s birthday and developed into a fight with his shadow, who is left pegged to the line overnight. But the shadow escapes and the Captain and Django are then pursuing him to the ‘super-dangerous Cut-it Out Island’ via incarceration in a jellyfish, rescue by a mermaid and her shark, confrontation with giant insects, a raspberry blowing dragon, a dive inside a volcano and capture by a ‘nasty two-headed pink bird’ and always with the shadow just eluding them. Finally spat out by a ‘ big oily fish’ they find themselves back where they started and discover the amazing adventure had been designed as an exciting birthday present from their now reunited shadow. There is little sense in the tale, but lots of deadpan visual and verbal humour that will find fans.