The core idea of this book was sort of awesome. Weird blue flash, all of humanity shrinks down to a few inches in height, most technology is rendered useless by our new size, now what? But I just didn't enjoy the execution. The art is fine, but the panel transitions didn't always flow in ways that made sense. Plus, I felt like the text was too sparse and unimaginative to get me really involved with the characters. Add in some weirdly paternalistic and vauge religious overtones, and I was really happy it didn't take me long to get through. ( )

Art was disappointing. The text feels stilted, like a bad translation. There's one or two possibly interesting characters, like the blind seer girl towards the end. Could have been really, really intriguing, but no exploration of disturbing themes such as how the insanity linked with predictive powers, etc. Feels like there should have been heavy editing and the hints at a second book should have actually been developed into the story, since there's no chance for sequel. The cover says it's going to be a motion picture, which I find hard to believe. Skip it. ( )

As a kid I LOVED comic books! And as an adult, I am a longtime fan of Hague's artwork . While I love the plot and storyline of this book, I really can only recommend it to rabid Hague fans. I was disappointed.

Hague needs to team up with a veteran comic book writer and get better advice on his storyboard illos. If this book were someone's first introduction to Hague, they'd avoid his books in the future... which would be a shame.

C'mon Michael, don't be so full of your fine artistic self that you can't ask a pro for insight and advice. For a first try this one's not bad, but it's not good either. You're not a comic book writer. I'd buy the next one IF I saw you teamed up with someone who could help you do you best and show your stuff. Don't be too proud now. Do what you need to do. ( )

Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

The premise of IN THE SMALL is fairly simple. Suddenly, a blue light washes over the entire earth and all of humanity is reduced to one-sixth of its original size. Nothing but humans are affected, and those who do survive the initial transformation are left to deal with the chaos of a world built for people too big. Suddenly, even the smallest animals and the simplest natural phenomena can cause great danger.

The story revolves around a brother and sister, Mouse and Beatrix (Beat for short), who together gather up groups of survivors and marshal them to create a new society. Beat is at home with her mother and grandfather when the transformation occurs, and the three of them begin to turn their house into a sustainable community, inviting neighbors and strangers alike to share the space with them.

Mouse is in the city working at his father's business when the transformation occurs. He has a talent for seeing things before they happen, or at least sensing them, something that his father has never understood. But even his father cannot deny the accuracy of the premonition that hits Mouse an hour before the transformation, and afterwards, Mouse becomes the natural leader of a group of people who make a pilgrimage through the city and back to the house that Beat is busy turning into a thriving community.

The one thing that makes this book stand out from all of the other stories of humans suddenly shrunken and at the mercy of nature and the elements is the graphic novel format. Hague's illustrations add to the sense of terror and urgency felt by the characters whose formerly-docile world has quickly turned against them. In addition, his characters present several musings about the cause of this transformation, several of which appear to be environmental in nature. Beat suggests that this is a way of Mother Earth getting back at a species that has abused her for too long.

The cause of the transformation is not decided upon during the course of the graphic novel, and although the main conflict is resolved for the time being, the story's ending opens up a whole new series of questions that a sequel will surely address. ( )

Imagine, in the blink of an eye, in the flash of a blue light, you and every other human on the planet are reduced to less than six inches tall.Imagine what it would be like in the world where nothing else was reduced in size. All the animals, insects, food, and shelter remained their regular size. Your backyard literally becomes a jungle.IN THE SMALL presents just that scenario. Survivors struggle to make it to the safety of the home of their make shift leader, picking up stragglers along the way. Word has it, there are demons in their midst so Mouse, the leader, does his best to keep everyone together until they they make it to the safety of his home where he is hoping he’ll find his mother, sister, and grandfather alive. The story moves very fast and anyone who enjoys reading about the post-apocalypse and survival will love this graphic novel. It is scheduled to be made into a movie in 2010. ( )