Sock Monkey (published by Dark Horse Comics) is a joyous, mind-bending piece of baroque cartooning by Tony Millionaire. It is, in a sense, an all-ages companion volume to Millionaire's more mature-minded (read: dirtier) Maakies collections (published by Fantagraphics Books).

 The two series share, in a way, two major characters: Drinky Crow and Uncle Gabby. But where the pair are living beings in a bizarre world of their own in the Maakies comic strip, in the world of Sock Monkey, they are cloth constructs that have somehow taken on consciousness and embark on grand adventures amid marvellously-delineated architecture that is breathtaking to behold.

The settings of Sock Monkey really are the third major player in its storylines (this trade, The Adventures of Sock Monkey collects four issues of two two-issue miniseries), with Millionaire lavishing attention to architectural detail that borders on the perfectionist, if not the pathological.

Stoic facades, grand staircases, and chandeliers that double as sparkling cities in the sky all figure prominently in these fevered adventures, with Sock Monkey and his Crow companion bounding through these gorgeous settings, raising hell and exploring the world in a way that is strikingly reminiscent of the way young children see their seemingly everyday surroundings.

They make their way through these houses (almost completely bereft of human life) with an explorer's curiousity and a great deal of bad luck. Throughout, though, they maintain their inquisitive and determined nature. Millionaire is equally skillful at depicting the interiors of these grand houses, rolling seascapes and tiny dollhouses, the intricate detail giving the reader a sense of place rarely seen in comics.

 Coupled with the fantastic sensibility brought to these places by the bizarre events that occur and the extraordinarily pluckiness of his characters, Sock Monkey makes for a riveting, mind-blowing read.

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The Adventures of Tony Millionaire's Sock Monkey is available from Amazon.com.