GON is the name of a little dinosaur with a giant heart. He may be small, but he's got a big feet, powerful jaws, and a hard head. And that is all he needs to protect his wildlife friends from predators. The basic plot for each chapter is generally similar: Gon protects his weaker friends from their natural enemies; but the way he accomplishes this is often puts a unique slant on the reader's perception of animals. Gon is an anachronism, but he is a good anachronism. And he's sure to bring a smile to your face.
The Gon series is published by Paradox Press, which is a division of DC Comics. Paradox Press has published several other Japanese works, most of which are erotic manga. As an alternative comics label, and have consistently sought to release extraordinary titles, such as the critically acclaimed STUCK RUBBER BABY.
When you first open up one of the books and turn to the artwork, you're sure to think to yourself,"Why haven't I heard of this Masashi Tanaka before?!" Tanaka's clean ink work is surprisingly accurate when depicting the forest wildlife and backgrounds. The care which is so evident in each line contributes to the realistic quality of the artwork, as well as lending to the humorous contrast with which Gon himself is portrayed. Tanaka's art is not to be believed until seen. You will be startled at the sheer talent he possesses in his black and white art. And it is his use of black and white which make the "Gon Lives with the Penguins" a sure favorite.
Tanaka's skill with the pen allows him to integrate human facial expressions with animal movements and features, which gives his stories a uniquely anthropomorphic feel. And it is apparent that Tanaka is a has a very deep appreciation of nature. He shares his love of nature and animals by providing an art gallery of animal portraits at the end of every book. These portraits give a more realistic depiction of the animals used in their respective stories.
Each book has a beautiful color cover of Gon. They are square bound and 5"x7.5" in dimension, so they will fit nicely on any bookshelf. There are three chapters per book, and each is better than the last.

Gon doing his "Where's Waldo?" impression.

Gon is far from perfect, and will occasionally display some of the cardinal sins. Of course, being an non-human creature, he cannot be held to such standards. But his good points often outweigh the bad. Gon is first and foremost a protector of prey. He staunchly defends his adopted brethren throughout the animal kingdom from their would-be predators. Nevertheless, Gon occasionally suffers from jealousy, and God help the creatures who get in his way.
Look for the good in Gon; overlook his bad traits. You'll live longer that way.
Probably the most unusual feature of GON is that these books have no text, except for the brief introductions made at the beginning of each chapter by the editor. But the lack of speech does not hinder the story in any way. Indeed, the story is enhanced by the wordless pictures and flows in a way that allows no place for word balloons.
You won't find any bleeding heart environmentalist preaching in this book. Here you'll find a world untainted by the human hand, where animals roam free and nature runs its course. As in nature, the drama is created by the hole predator/prey relationship; this is the theme on which most of the stories are based. Yet Tanaka is able to sculpt and mold his stories to make each one fresh. You won't tire of reading about Gon's adventures.
You will love GON so much that you will want to rush out and buy the rest of the series. And you'll find yourself extremely fortunate, because there are a total of 4 books in the GON series:

1. Gon (ISBN: 1-56389-296-0)
2. Gon Again! (ISBN: 1-56389-297-9)
3. Here Today, Gon Tomorrow (ISBN: 1-56389-298-7)
4. Going, Going, Gon (ISBN: 1-56389-299-5)

GON and GON AGAIN!
MASAHI TANAKA
PARADOX PRESS
ISBN: 1-56389-296-0
ISBN: 1-56389-297-9
$5.95US/$8.50CAN