Review: Ginger Meggs

Iconic Australian literary character Ginger Meggs is celebrating his 100thbirthday and you are invited back into his larrikin world with the release of four new adventures.

Created by Jimmy Bancks in 1921, his great great nephew, Tristan Bancks picks up where he left off. These stories are illustrated by the current cartoonist of the Ginger Meggs comic strip, Jason Chatfield. 

Originally syndicated in over 100 daily newspapers in Australia and the world. Ginger Meggs is one of the oldest running comic strips in the world.

These four new rambunctious adventures showcase Ginger Meggs and his friends as fun-loving larrikins who always find themselves in trouble one way or another.

One of the stories, Dead Man’s Hill finds Ginger and his best mate Benny debating over claims made by snooty sneak Eddie Coogan. Eddie reckons he rode all the way down Dead Man’s Hill in his billycart with no problems. So up for a challenge the two friends build their own death-defying cart and attempt the hill.

Recovering from their first attempt the boys are deciding if it is worthwhile trying again, when archenemy Jugears Johnson challenges them. Jugears Johnson, a meaner and nastier version of Eddie has decided to hold the first ever billycart championship where the winner has to successfully ride their billycart down the mammoth hill – what could possibly go wrong? Are the boys up for the challenge?

Another story, Lamington Billionaire sees Ginger Meggs the entrepreneur, selling his homemade lamingtons to save money for a trip with his parents to New Zealand. Thinking he is on a winner, he shares his secret for baking lamingtons with Benny. But when Benny starts his own lamington business undercutting Ginger, it soon turns into the lamington wars as they try to outdo each other with hilarious results.

The two other stories featured in this book are also rollicking good fun – filled with the comraderies of best mates, archenemies causing trouble and parents being well, parents.

Anything that can go wrong usually does, just with a slight modern twist. Ginger Meggs leaps from the page and into your heart with his honest, well-meaning intentions and children (and adults) of all ages will fall back in love with this character.

Title: Ginger Meggs
Author: Tristan Bancks
Illustrator: Jason Chatfield
Publisher: Penguin Australia, $24.99
Publication Date: 4 May 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781760894818
For Ages: 9+
Type: Graphic Novels

 

November 26, 2021 at 12:32AM DimbutNice