Review by Frank Plowright

Because Hupo and the Wonder Thief was such a strange and singular experience, the idea of a sequel might seem a foreboding proposition to anyone other than creator Billy Partridge. The key is Hupo’s hero, the Great Humdingo, keen to explore the unknown, and happy to have Hupo as a companion. They’re probably the only people on Yip who’d anticipate visiting a place called the Doom Lagoon, supposedly a lake containing a gem trapping monsters known as Fears underwater. The allure for Humdingo and Hupo is the legend that when fears are whispered into the lake, they disappear forever, but Hupo’s first due another surprise when Zimmy turns up to join the adventure. Zimmy looks very like Hupo.

The idea of disappearing fears is one that’s more easy for children to grasp than the concept of stories disappearing as in Hupo’s first appearance, and Partridge also supplies a far more straightforward plot than last time, one that empowers children. He deliberately draws some things in a way arousing suspicion, and so readers will be able to figure some things out for themselves.

This is drawn in the same digital style as Hupo’s first appearance, with large areas of colour encompassing thin-lined figures. The Fears manifest as huge translucent bubbles with eyes and mouths, enabling a sinister presence, while Hupo is expressive and the use of colour impressive.

A different topic enables Partridge to progress a sense of humour more than previously, most prominently regarding what people fear, with lumpy soup and peas high on the list. However a crucial plot point setting the Fears free won’t bother children too much, but it’s likely to bug the hell out of anyone else as it doesn’t hold up too logically. Also, wouldn’t it have been better had Hupo saved the day, not Zimmy?

Once again, there’s a moral at the heart of the story, which is that fears remain until they’re faced, but in the land of Yip at least all is well by the end.