Captain Raptor and the Perilous Planet

Starred review from July 15, 2018
The space-roving dinosaur and his scaly crew return at last for another awesome rescue mission.Jam-packed with near disasters, death-defying feats, and gleefully melodramatic art, this latest adventure (over 10 long years since Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates!) sends the mighty spaceship Megatooth hurtling toward Pyros Prime, where a small band of research scientists is threatened by the imminent eruption of supervolcano Mount Bleak. To the oft-repeated chorus of "Could this be the end of Captain Raptor?" the doughty dino roars down to a rough landing, weathers attacks from both a humongous Cobrasaurus and a swooping Vulturous, crosses a lambent lake of lava to snatch the beleaguered scientists (meek mammals all), and rejoins his shipmates to rocket off in the nick of time, blasting through a shower of falling asteroids just as all Pyros Prime bursts apart in a titanic explosion. "Never a dull moment," says he, as news of an unspecified catastrophe on distant Seti Beta Six sets the stage for a fresh set of epic exploits. "Onward to the stars!" In the squared-off, lavishly detailed scenes, outsized monsters and laser-wielding warriors in riveted body armor battle through murky landscapes and caverns lit from below by glowing lava. Kudos to this prehistoric Buzz Lightyear...long may he sail the spaceways. (Graphic picture book. 7-9)

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