April 1, 2024
Gifted young gamers team up to thwart an interstellar prankster's scheme to blast humanity into oblivion with toxic gas from Uranus, the smelliest planet anywhere. Uh-oh...it seems that evil Baron Buttz is planning something involving Poopious Maximus, a giant mound of "fake dog doody," and a Mega Whopper Whoopee Cushion. Down swoops Newton Bean, commander of the Superpixel Ninja Officer Tweens of Space, to recruit Rusty Crumb, a human gamer with awesomely overdeveloped "thumbceps," and his fierce little sister, Kitty, to help get to the bottom of what's going on. The stage is set for boss battles and actual ones, with the two gamers firing up their Super Game Dude consoles to tackle swarming hordes of Buttz bots and the sneering Prince of Pranks in both real and cyber space. Distinguishing between the two realms by using smooth or pixelated lines (but drawing them in much the same way), Mansch packs his cartoon panels with real and virtual space action and rapid patter on the way to a fart of interplanetary proportions that blasts the scheming schemer to a proper comeuppance--or, as one minion gleefully puts it, "Buttz is on Uranus! Hahaha!" Bean has light brown skin; his nemesis and the rest of the button-eyed human cast present as white. Piles of excitement. (Graphic science fiction. 7-10)
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May 31, 2024
Gr 2-4-When Baron Buttz neutralizes the other SNOTS (Superpixel Ninja Officer Tweens of Space) by turning them old, it's up to new recruit Rusty Crumb to save the day. It's perhaps unfair to compare this debut book to a contemporary series like "Captain Underpants," but kids' humor books generally work better with a subtle balance between potty humor and more established, unalienating humor like puns or wordplay; this title unfortunately relies heavily on the former. However, a subplot involving Crumb trying to get along with his sister makes the piece a little genuine, so hopefully the planned sequel will find a better balance. Illustrations feel similarly uninspiring, as the art style doesn't always seem to match the action. The childishness of the character design may seem approachable to the age group, but the older set may want something a little more refined or fresh to the genre. Still, kids will enjoy the simple word choice, space adventure, and use of potty words. VERDICT An additional purchase.-Peter Blenski
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