THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ORDINARY BOY

In overtly consumerist Superopolis, the power struggle—between beloved Amazing Indestructo and loathed Professor Brain Drain—plays out for real and as a popular TV show. Every resident, constantly munching possibly mind-numbing chips from the local factory, boasts a superpower, however ineffectual. (Spaghetti Man poses as much of a threat as a wet noodle, and Halogen Boy is, well, a bit dim.) Ordinary Boy (wistful over his own seemingly elusive superpower) narrates as he and four fellow junior heroes rush to complete their set of Amazing Indestructo Collector Cards. Their quest—punctuated by OB’s reverent consultations of his “L’il Heroes Handbook” (its pages liberally interspersed)—rollicks from blind materialism to dangerous confrontations with the city’s greed-driven super-honchos. OB gains insights into the character of his revered AI as well as his own super-talent. Hilarious details and nonstop action leaven the weighty stuff: Boniface has fun with his superheroes, from Major Bummer to Plasma Girl, and OB’s narration conveys a successful mix of irony and idolatry. As a send-up and a celebration of the comics genre, this packs a wallop. (Fiction. 8-12)