A Swinging Sixties spy caper in the guise of a Tintin pastiche, this delightful escapade features anthropomorphic animal secret agents traversing the continent, tracking down a Russian double agent behind a series of terrorist attacks. Following his discovery that an upscale art gallery is a front for a cell of Soviet spies targeting members of Parliament, everyman seal Malcom Warner is enlisted as an agent by MI-6 and assigned an experienced operative, a kestrel named Kes, as his partner. The pair barrels through a series of travelogue locales in search of the elusive traitor as well as the titular MacGuffin. Working within the confines of a homage seems beneficial to Tommaso. The story is more structured and the humor sharper than is typical of him, and despite his adopting a European ligne claire graphic approach, the funny-animal character designs and the kinetic action sequences remain recognizably his own. Tommaso has other series currently ongoing (She Wolf, Dark Corridor), but Spy Seal is the one most deserving of his creative energies.--Flagg, Gordon Copyright 2018 Booklist

Eisner award-winner Tommaso (Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow) steps firmly outside his narrative comfort zone in this oddball funny-animals spy adventure. Mimicking the tone and visual aesthetic of Hergé's Tintin, the volume follows the adventures of Malcolm, an unemployed seal who stumbles onto an international espionage conspiracy. Malcolm is quickly hired as MI6's newest agent and embarks on a globe-trotting investigation, during which he promptly falls in love with his partner, Kes the kestrel. Although appropriate for all ages, it's difficult to say who this story is really for; younger readers are likely to be baffled by the economic and political jargon, while older thriller aficionados will be frustrated at the thin paint-by-numbers story and flat resolution (not to mention one bewildering jump-cut that sabotages a perfectly good cliffhanger). To his credit, Tommaso does manage to slyly lampshade some comical spy tropes (and delivers clever puns), and his visuals are as strong and crisp as ever, but the plotting and character work don't convince. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.