Only the very specific audience Clark has in mind will care, and even they may not care very much.
In a series opener heavily sprinkled with references to butts, boogers and farting, a fourth-grader discovers that frozen treats give him superpowers.
Irwin Snackcracker makes this discovery when chomping into a Fudgsicle results in superspeed and a conversation with a squirrel. Hot on the heels of this incident, he comes home to the revelation that such abilities run in the family—in fact, his Grandpa Gus and flatulent canine sidekick are actually renowned heroes Mighty Super Gus and Capt. Corgi. Both the amateurish cartoon illustrations, which look like they were digitally crafted in the 1980s, and Irwin’s accompanying narrative are so redolent with booger-waving and other heavy-handed juvenile crudités (“Butt…now that’s a funny word. Classic”) that the plot comes off as an afterthought. No sooner does Irwin get a cool costume of his very own (with ICK, for “Ice Cream Kid” across the chest) than he’s off with his elder relative to corral Sweaty Crocker, a school lunch lady jailed for “excessive toenails in the meatloaf” and other crimes but now on the loose. Can she be stopped before she releases the monstrous repurposed school kitchen oven Choptimus Grime upon the unsuspecting citizens of Mock City?
Only the very specific audience Clark has in mind will care, and even they may not care very much. (“fun facts and activities,” not seen) (Fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: June 3, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4494-4424-2
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock”...
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.
Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless “Hip Hop Wish,” a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter’s repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre’s idea of “flattering” might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker’s big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the “Sorcerer’s New Pet.”
Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of “rock” music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-59643-750-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
A winner.
When a young girl’s imagination and creativity are co-opted by a mysterious new friend, she must find a way to regain what is rightfully hers.
Sandy is a brown-skinned, dark-haired girl with big black eyes and a vivid imagination. At night, as she goes to sleep, she catches the lights bobbing about in her room and turns them into anything she imagines. The next day is spent drawing the fantastical creatures from her dreams, much to the detriment of her schoolwork. When a tall, pale-skinned girl with purple hair befriends her, Sandy is excited, though there is something eerie and unsettling about her new companion. Her excitement soon turns to anger as Morfie enters her imaginative nighttime world and tries to take it over. Readers will cheer at the clever way in which Sandy regains control. Using a lovely palette that includes a liberal amount of rich, dark purple, Colombian-born Alvarez has drawn a world that harks back to her native Bogotá and days in Catholic school, evoking it in wonderful detail and atmosphere. Her pages are not crowded yet are filled with details that will engage readers. The beings that inhabit Sandy’s nighttime world are simply delightful. The album size, cloth spine binding, and spot gloss on the cover are the icing on the cake of this beautiful graphic novel.
A winner. (Graphic fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: March 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-910620-13-7
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Nobrow Ltd.
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
