The Wrenchies

From start to finish, The Wrenchies is very violent. Its teen characters use swords, guns, lasers, rocks, nunchucks, grenades, and martial arts moves to fight demonic Shadowmen. Most of the victims bleed copious green slime mixed with insects. Younger, more sensitive readers may be upset by some of the imagery.

Based on their dialogue and body language, Sherwood and Marsi seem to develop some kind of romantic relationship as they mature. The exact nature of their attraction, however, remains obscure.

The language in The Wrenchies is harsh, especially for a graphic novel featuring young teens. Variations of "s--t" and "f--k" are employed frequently, up to two dozen times each. "Piss," "damn," "ass," "d--k," "a--hole," and "hell" are used more infrequently.

Sherwood grows up to be an extremely dissatisfied adult, usually shown smoking cigarettes, taking drugs. or drinking alcohol. It is not presented as a desirable state of affairs.

Parents need to know that The Wrenchies is a hyper-violent futuristic fantasy, in which a band of orphans fights demonic Shadowmen and other monsters. The language is very harsh, with dozens of instances of "s--t," "f--k," and their variants, as well as infrequent uses of "hell," "damn," "prick," "ass," and "a--hole." The level of violence is high, with the Wrenchies using everything from baseball bats and swords to nunchucks and lasers to fight their enemies, most of whom bleed green slime mixed with bugs. As an adult, one character smokes, takes drugs, and drinks. Older readers may appreciate the punky, anarchic tone, but younger, more sensitive readers may find the imagery too disturbing. The artwork is sometimes murky, as is the plot.