American Elf Volume 3: The Collected Sketchbook Diaries of James Kochalka: January 1, 2006 - December 31, 2007 (v. 3)
*Starred Review* There’s nothing like a cute kid to steal the limelight, which is why W. C. Fields gave Baby Leroy such a hard time. Kochalka’s elder son, Eli, ages two to four in the third collection of dad’s graphic diary, is cuter than most buttons (see the photos on the last two pages to gauge how much), and by Thanksgiving 2007, he had a brother. Stiff competition for Kochalka, whose childlike wonder at and amusement with life and the world make his self-portrayal as an elf, complete with pointy ears and buck teeth that he doesn’t really have, utterly appropriate. So far, he is up to the challenge, though his wife, Amy, seems more ancillary than in previous volumes of his one- to four-panel daily comics, and fatherhood definitely preempts his rock band and his horniness as subject matter (more prominent than before, however, is getting his children’s books published). The color premiered in American Elf, Book 2 (2007) continues to be just about perfect, warm rather than bright, and his draftsmanship’s ballpark resemblance to that of Schulz’s Peanuts remains essential for pointing up the naughtiness that makes Kochalka charming as the dickens, even when the subject matter gets pungently earthy.