Sparks! By Ian Boothby, illustrated by Nina Matsumoto, color by David Dedrick

The Graphix imprints presents another cinematic graphic novel; at first a light-hearted and humorous adventure, bringing to mind Tom Watson’s popular Stick Dog and Stick Cat adventures, there are several more serious themes for readers to pick apart from the narrative.

SPOILERS

In a peaceful, everyday town, a baby falls down a well… and a gallant dog springs to the rescue. But this is no ordinary dog! This dog is really… a cat! In fact, it’s two cats. As we slowly learn throughout the story, August, the inventor of the dog suit, was a naive kitten who ventured outside and paid dearly for his curiosity, being catnapped and tortured by evil scientists. During his time in the lab, he meets Charlie, a daring cat who’s willing to try anything to gain his freedom. Together, the two manage to escape and together they save people as a gallant dog. But, the odd little blonde baby who is so often in trouble is more than just her parents’ little princess… she’s actually a supervillain with a shocking (literally) secret!

August and Charlie must navigate their own painful pasts and their current friendship in order to work together and save the world.

Lots of cute pictures of cats and their wacky adventures keep the humor high, while sprinkling the apparently light-hearted story with darker flashbacks to the cats’ past in darker blue hues. There are plenty of gadgets, blinking lights, robotic arms, and computer screens to make things look techy, and no lack of bathroom humor with the robotic litter box. Humans in this world show plenty of diversity, leaning towards darker skin. The evil baby and her “parents” are white and blonde, but clearly not wholly human.

Verdict: This will be a popular graphic novel for fans of Captain Underpants and Stick Dog who are ready for a little more serious in their funny.

ISBN: 9781338029475; Published 2018 by Scholastic Graphix; Purchased for the library