The Luckiest Boy by Scott Sava, illustrated by Joseph Bergin III & Cristian Valdes

I really loved Scott Sava's Hyperactive and ever since I read it I've been looking for something similar. Unfortunately, his other works just don't work for me. A neighboring librarian bought a large selection of his comics (I just recommended Hyperactive, you totally went nuts Sara!) so I borrowed them all to try to find one that was as funny and readable as Hyperactive. In this comic, The Luckiest Boy, Russell is pretty sure he's the unluckiest kid to ever walk the planet. After a day of small but endless disasters, he comes home to find out his dad has lost his job and the Superbowl tickets he won are gone with it. The next day, Russ's run of bad luck continues, ending with a desperate flight from bullies, a quick save from the friendly girl he banged into the day before, and the sudden appearance of a leprechaun. Having lost his pot of gold, the leprechaun must grant Russ a wish...and his luck immediately changes. Unfortunately, he's stealing the good luck of the entire world and life on earth is doomed unless he gives it back. Which he does. His good luck promptly vanishes, along with all the wonderful things that happened to him, but he's perfectly happy to be alive, no luck needed, everything's good. In fact, when the leprechaun gives him some gold after all, everything is perfect.

The computer animation art has a generic feeling to it; it's easily readable and there's lots of expression, but it's just kind of boring. While some parts of the storyline have appeal - the feeling that you're the unluckiest kid, having a bad day at school, the exaggerated events and the introduction of a cute leprechaun don't say "kid appeal" to me. Most of the story feels too young for a middle schooler, but Russ's awakening interest in girls and the ages of the characters seem to be aiming it at that group.

Verdict: An additional purchase if you're building a large juvenile graphic novel collection, but not necessary if you're working on a small core collection. I would like to see sequels to the Hyperactive storyline, which is popular with my kids. I don't see this as having a lot of kid appeal.

ISBN: 9781600104800; Published November 2009 by Idea and Design Works; Borrowed from the library