- Comedy
- InvestiGators collection
- Ages 6–10
InvestiGators
Part of the collectionInvestiGators→Best for reluctant readers who want bright, silly, fast-moving graphic novels with puns, gadgets and animal-detective chaos.
- Books9 / 10
- Arcs3
- Span2020–2025
- StatusOngoing
The series
At a glance.
InvestiGators is John Patrick Green's main graphic novel series about Mango and Brash, two vest-wearing alligator agents who investigate crimes, disasters and ridiculous mysteries for S.U.I.T. The books are built for comic momentum: short scenes, bold colours, puns, villains, gadgets, fake science and visual gags on nearly every page. They are not emotionally deep in the way some fantasy graphic novels are, but they are extremely valuable as a confidence-builder for children who resist prose. The series grows a wider cast and more running continuity, but its core promise remains simple: funny cases solved by a ridiculous detective duo.
Best for reluctant readers who want bright, silly, fast-moving graphic novels with puns, gadgets and animal-detective chaos.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Absurdist
- Exciting
Publication order is best because running jokes, villains and S.U.I.T. lore accumulate, but the early books are easy to enjoy as individual cases.
Three arcs
A series that changes as it goes.
- IStandalone collection arcBooks 9–10 · 2025Low sensitivity
Later cases and case files
The later seeded books extend the main case sequence and add a case-file-style collection.
The later seeded InvestiGators entries continue the core appeal while offering slightly different shapes. Class Action remains part of the main case-driven run, while Case Files is more naturally understood as a collection-style extension for children already invested in Mango, Brash and S.U.I.T. These books are not clean entry points compared with the first volume, but they are highly useful for keeping momentum once a child is hooked. The series remains low sensitivity, with comic jeopardy and spy spoof rather than meaningful violence or fear.
- IINarrative arcBooks 1–4 · 2020–2022Low sensitivity
Mango and Brash open the case
The opening books establish Mango, Brash, S.U.I.T., the pun-heavy case structure and the series' comic rhythm.
The opening arc is the ideal entry point because it teaches the reader exactly how InvestiGators works: silly mystery, gadget-based problem-solving, animal agents, sudden jokes and action that never becomes genuinely worrying. Mango and Brash's partnership is simple but effective, with the two agents bouncing through cases that look like spy fiction but read like comedy. These early books are especially strong for reluctant readers because the pages move quickly and every spread offers a fresh visual reward.
- IIINarrative arcBooks 5–8 · 2022–2024Low sensitivity
Bigger villains and wider S.U.I.T. business
The middle run keeps the same comic case format but widens the cast, gadgets and villainous schemes.
The middle arc rewards readers who already enjoy the InvestiGators formula. The cases become slightly more elaborate, the S.U.I.T. world feels more established, and the series has more room for returning jokes, side characters and bigger comic action. It remains very low-risk reading: the danger is bright, jokey and quickly resolved, with no sustained emotional intensity. This stretch is useful for children who have gained reading confidence through the early books and want more pages, more running business and more of the same playful detective energy.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 6–10
- Read aloud · 6–9
- Independent · 6–10
Reluctant-reader friendliness
Very high
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Adult crossover
Low
Grows with the reader
Designed to
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Per-arc breakdown
In the same universe
Sister series.
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
About the author