Flake is a graphic novel that celebrates ice cream. The story revolves around Howard Grayling, a second generation ice cream vendor. He runs his deceased father's territory in the northwest England town of Dobbiston. Howard sells ice cream from his van. He begins to notice a sharp downturn in business and soon realizes that a competitor named Tony Augustus, Howard's half-brother, is trying to take over his territory. Tony's business has been expanding all over the Northwest as he pushes other ice cream vendors out of business. If he can get Howard's territory, Tony will be the only vendor in the region. Howard gets help from his friends in the Dobbiston Mountain Rescue Team to overcome all of the obstacles in his way. Flake is Matthew Dooley's debut graphic novel.

What an enjoyable read! It is a light story that is appropriate for young readers. There are no sex scenes or dirty words. The artwork has been drawn in a whimsical style that matches the uncomplicated plot and is drawn in the usual comic strip format. All of the characters have round faces and stocky bodies. It makes them appear overweight but perhaps they are not. The story itself was fast paced. The characters are just as well developed as you would see in a fiction novel. I think a sequel is in order here. It would be a shame to not hear from these characters again. ( )

This is a lovely low key graphic novel about an ice cream war. Apparently these are not uncommon, what a world. It's nicely drawn, the characters are all quite resigned to life, and the whole thing feels very maudlin. I wolfed it down in an afternoon, slightly more slowly than I might eat an ice cream. ( )

Flake, by Matthew Dooley, is one of those "graphic novels" beloved by people who don't usually read comics: all the text is easy reading, all the pages are divided into multiple easy to follow rectangular panels, all the panels are filled in similar ways with familiar faces and places, and there's absolutely nothing in the presentation or content requiring any effort from a very average reader. This from a country that in real actual history produced the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars because truth is stranger than fiction, especially if your chosen fiction is par for the course, middle of the road, safe comforting reading for tired grey centrist dads. But I'm feeling generous as this is the artist's first published long form so: 3* ( )