The Casagrandes #2: Anything for Familia by The Loud House Creative Team

As much as I’ve enjoyed the chaotic fun of the Loud House comics, based on the hit show airing on Nickelodeon, I must say that I found this spin-off Casagrande volume much easier to consume, probably because the main cast wasn’t quite as ginormous as in the LH books!

Granted, several of these stories have also previously appeared in LH compilations, tho few of the Loud family themselves show up in these pages, barring the usual suspects, Lincoln and Lori, who have the closest ties to the Casagrandes. Lincoln is best friends with our heroine, Ronnie Anne Santiago, while Lori is dating her older brother Bobby. The first story actually kicks off with Bobby and Lori on a date while their younger siblings attempt to prank them, mostly successfully. The rest of the stories follow the extended Casagrande clan while they run their mercado, test out recipes and go to the skate park, among other fun, family-friendly adventures.

Probably my favorite entry in this book was “Tu Destino!” written by Kristen G Smith, with art by Ron Bradley and letters by Wilson Ramos Jr. I’m a sucker for anything to do with role-playing games and quasi-psychics so this short was both delightful and right up my alley.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the representation. Multi-racial and culturally diverse cast aside, it’s always refreshing to see kids with Down’s Syndrome shown as being as integral a part of a family as the next child. CJ is as much of a fun goofball as the rest of his clan, and it’s nice to see how his disability is both fully acknowledged while being shown to be only incidental to his being a fully contributing and valued member of the Casagrandes.

Overall, this was another knockout collection by the Loud House Creative Team, that’s sure to appeal to anyone looking for G-rated laughs. Bonuses in this volume include the theme song lyrics (with singer Ally Brooke given the Loud House doodle treatment!) as well as blueprints for not only the Casagrande’s apartment building but also their neighborhood, making this a must-buy for Casagrande fans!

The Casagrandes #2: Anything for Familia by The Loud House Creative Team was published February 22 2022 by Papercutz and is available from all good booksellers, including