“A creative odyssey.” — KIRKUS
“Magical and fresh, this is easily one of the best graphic novels of the year.” — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
A middle-grade graphic novel published by Iron Circus Comics.
While he’s much too busy to embark on any adventures himself, Dr. Baer is here to help with yours. Are you burdened with an unwanted magical object? Gorgon’s head? Monkey’s paw? Flaming sword?! Sell it to Dr. Baer; he’ll tame its spirit, carefully catalog its origin, and keep it safe and orderly within the walls of the spookiest house you’re ever likely to find.
But when novice explorers Taft the Tortoise and Pickles the Pig accidentally enable the theft of Baer’s most powerful artifact by the nefarious sorcerer Gallus Lugubrious, the good doctor is forced out of his house to reclaim it. The only problem is, for everything he knows about magic, he knows nothing about adventuring, and he’ll have to figure this one out as he goes, far from the comforting safety of home.
In over his head, along with his equally inexperienced new allies, Dr. Baer sets out on a dangerous quest through a world of monsters and magic to set things right . . . and to find his next chapter.
THE INSCRUTABLE DOCTOR BAER AND THE CASE OF THE TWO-FACED STATUE is like THE THREE MUSKETEERS meets RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK if everyone was designed by E. H. Shepard. A great big book made from scoops of adventure, amazing characters, and mysterious cursed objects. Jerzy Drozd has concocted an enticing story and his artwork is the cherry on top!
Jeff Smith, author of BONE
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Meet the Characters:
Doctor Baer: Sorting and cataloging supernatural items bring him limitless, quiet joy. He also enjoys sharing his deep knowledge of the occult, but only with his spooky housemates or an adventurer with an interesting artifact. Otherwise he’d just as soon be left alone. Surprises are his least favorite thing, and discovering that he’s been wrong about the nature of cursed objects will be a difficult revelation to recover from.
Wisps: When the stone guardian is broken, the weird wisps of elemental magic that lived within it take refuge in a mystical staff that is part of Doctor Baer’s collection. They assist him in his adventures by lending him their magics.
- The Green Wisp, gentle and kind, brings health and wisdom magic
- The Blue Wisp, gloomy and aloof, accesses time and darkness magic
- The Violet Wisp, intelligent and sassy, is a conduit for speed and cleverness magic
- The Orange Wisp, brash and happy, lends heat and strength magic
Listen to a short podcast where I talk more about Doctor Baer:
Pickles: “How hard can it be?” is Pickles’ motto. Bottomlessly cheerful and enthusiastic, the rookie adventurer is confident she will make her mark on the world. But she’s not a details person and will need to learn how to take a more measured and sophisticated approach if she’s going to successfully rescue the Stone Guardian.
Listen to me talk a bit more about Pickles:
Taft: If cheerful Pickles is a balloon, Taft is the one that keeps her down to earth instead of drifting into open sky. He’s moody, anxious, and on the lookout for trouble, which helps keep Pickles out of too much danger. Though he would never admit it, adventuring appeals to him–he likes taking his anxiety out on villains.
Gallus Lugubrious: A self-absorbed sorcerer whose failure to gain renown is eating him up. Gallus hopes to hack the game by using the reassembled Stone Guardian to nullify the magics of other sorcerers and wizards. If he’s the only magic user, then it stands to reason that he’s the best!
Wilhelmina: Raised by Gallus, she serves as his ride and bodyguard. Years of his tongue lashings have left her with only two available emotional states: demoralized or berserker rage. She knows a secret about the stone guardian that Gallus doesn’t, though: when reassembled in a certain way the Stone Guardian’s power changes. She plans on using it against him.