The Masked Maverick may be able to beat Hammerhand Hannibal, Mad Dog Markowitz, and every other wrestler in the ring, but he can't win over the crowds who boo his every victory--until the Brooklyn Bonecrusher tears off his mask to reveal features so inoffensive that the spectators have a change of heart. Ogburn pokes fun at an easy target, but it's affectionate fun--she's obviously a fan. Carlson's awkward wrestlers have a flabby, low- budget look more common in bygone years; she leaves readers to guess the actual nature of some of the Maverick's techniques (the ``Boston crab pin''; the ``airplane spin''). A mismatch; still, an unusual milieu for a picture book story. (Picture book. 7-9)
