Book Review - 'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: 2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious' by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale

I finally decided to check out the sequel to the Hales' 'The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World' novel, and holy acorns, it is adorbs! And funny as chitter-y heck, too. The wordplay and sentimentality are too precious!

Who knew that a children's Marvel book about an evil opening mall could be so delightful and sweet? For it is also about the dangers of propaganda and advertising, the importance of kindness and finding common ground with troubled people, nonviolent solutions to conflicts and problems, friendship, loving and supportive family, middle school angst, animals, and overcoming fears with the help of a close-knit (preferably fuzzy) group.

And Squirrel Girl/Doreen Green is at the centre of everything, so the book is an instant win.

Shannon Hale and Dean Hale write her voice and actions so well; that are so true to her character. She really is a fuzzball of goodness and light personified, even at fourteen-years-old, and struggling to survive middle school.

Tippy-Toe and her family of heroic and intrepid squirrels are great. Like any good 'Squirrel Girl' story, there are hundreds of the fuzzy little rodents present, saving the day either unnoticed, or by attacking and covering bad guys who cower at their mercy, or by covering Squirrel Girl herself for dramatic hero posturing.

Squirrel Girl's best human friend, Ana Sophia Arcos Romero, is given equal page time, and her own chapters from her viewpoint. She is wonderful - a fully-rounded, three-dimensional Hispanic deaf girl who may also be on the autism spectrum. What a brave young teen. Squirrel Girl learns a lot from Ana Sophia, as Ana Sophia learns a lot from Squirrel Girl. Empathy, listening and understanding are key to any healthy, lasting friendship.

How fun! I read '2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious' in two days. Delectable! Bonus: It ends on a 'Squirrel Girl' minicomic! Anything with Squirrel Girl in it is fun, cheery and charming; I shouldn't have been surprised, and I should have read it sooner. This girl is an optimistic, peppy pick-me-up pill with a bushy tail and buckteeth.

However, the novel sequel only mentions Captain Marvel in one Avenger group chat chapter, disappointingly. Same goes for She-Hulk. I wish those two would have been actually, physically present, and not merely in texts. Thor (Odinson) is the only Avenger who participates in the story (discounting the minicomic). A couple of spoilerific cameos at the end are cute, though. And there's a mistake where one of the Squirrel Scouts - they're the middle school group of fans of Squirrel Girl, plus LARPers, who're kind of useless, annoying and not-so-supportive, aka whiny interferers and nuisances - Janessa, is called Lanessa once.

One big point of criticism: In the scene where Squirrel Girl incapacitates a cat woman villain, Mistress Meow, by using a laser pointer (which she got at the beginning of the story from a Laser Lady...it's Squirrel Girl, so why not?) to lure the cat-person-hybrid out of a supermarket and towards the authorities...why doesn't she keep using it, as Mistress Meow proceeds to wreck havoc outside in traffic, endangering far more people?

Oh well. Those things don't tarnish this nugget gem of a sequel, starring one of the greatest superheroines of all time.

Experience joy by reading it, like I did!

Sidenote: '2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious'? They really missed a grand opportunity in the pun game by naming the book '2 Fuzzy, 2 Furrious' instead.

Read my review of the first book here.

Final Score: 4/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Billie Blaster and the Robot Army from Outer Space' by Laini Taylor (Writer), Jim Di Bartolo (Artist)

What a zany, insane, childish comic. It's great.

You seriously wouldn't believe that 'Billie Blaster and the Robot Army from Outer Space' is by modern epic (in every sense) fantasy novelist Laini Taylor. But it is; alongside her artist and cartoonist husband Jim Di Bartolo, as essentially a present for their daughter, and as a celebration of all the silly things they'd made up in their home. It shows, and it is spectacular.

'Billie Blaster' is like 'Phineas and Ferb', 'Jimmy Neutron', 'Atomic Betty' and 'Ed, Edd n Eddy', with the cartoon characters drawn to look like 'Sesame Street' puppets, or killer dolls from horror franchises. Those teeth and crazy eyes, *shudders*. But the art style grows on you.

It's about a ten-year-old girl genius with wild red hair, Billie Blaster, who may not actually be a genius but is unconsciously living off her famous scientist parents' successful inventions and popularity, and her archnemesis, her former-friend-turned-bitter-rival Hector Glum, who was shrunken to the size of a stick insect by one of his own inventions...and turned evil by Billie's mother's intelligence-enhancing invention, and he now wants to take over earth as well as actually kill Billie. Yeah, not a good message to send to kids: that smart people, scientifically-inclined people, or people who are "too smart for their own good", are evil/have no morals. I thought we had done away with that harmful, dangerous cliché ages ago. But the comic is too much fun for me to dwell on that detail, and it is obviously not to be taken seriously in the slightest.

As the title plainly says, the plot is: there is an upcoming robot army sent by aliens to take over earth, which is kind of Billie's fault, and which Hector is all in for. The evil emperor alien is named Emperor Mwahaha. The jokes centred on that are brilliant.

It's all a good laugh and lark. There is a talking goat sidekick, intelligent racoons, evil intelligent pigeons, tall sandwich world championships, a giant talking alien robot head, a spaceship that Billie forgot to include a bathroom in on her blueprints (easily among the best jokes, and further evidence of Billie's short-sightedness, overlooking the obvious, and being in fact a dumb smart person), self-building robots everywhere, funny aliens and their planets, a toilet weasel (don't ask), lap dinosaurs (again, don't ask), floating cheese puffs (as in, cheese puffs that make you float when you eat them), and...this:


"How am I supposed to invade a planet with fart blasters?!"


Very juvenile and wacky. And even more hilarious than its appearance, blurb and promotion suggest.

'Billie Blaster and the Robot Army from Outer Space' was created to be read just for fun, for comedy, for kids, and adults too. Nothing deep about it, except the acknowledgement of the privilege gap between Billie and Hector - an additional, clever factor to their rivalry - and that any competition is merely a popularity contest. Plus, the lesson that "smart" and "wise" are different things.

It sets up a sequel, but regardless of whether that will ever come to fruition, the comic works well as a standalone, a one-off trip to a crazy universe set in the future. A future where earth is immensely overpopulated, yet humans somehow still thrive and survive, no effs given about anything.

Who or what is the conglomerate corporation Jax anyway? *suspicious glare*

If you like cartoony, colourful and creative fun and hijinks, and are nostalgic for the silliest, most bizarre cartoons you watched as a kid, then check out 'Billie Blaster'.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Book Review - 'Once Upon a Witch's Broom' by Beatrice Blue

What an adorable, lovely and soft children's witchy picture book, containing an important message about self-esteem and loving yourself for who you are.

I'd read one other 'Once Upon a' fantasy picture book by Beatrice Blue, 'Once Upon a Unicorn Horn', and liked that too. So of course I was going to read a witch origin tale version. 'Once Upon a Witch's Broom' really is a beautiful, lush and colourful little fairy tale, which is also about friendship and close, supportive and reassuring relationships. It has definite magical girl magic, vibes and energy to boot.

And you can't tell me that Moira and Lilly, the young best friend witches, aren't an LBGTQ+ couple. Or at least they grow up to become a romantic pair, living happily ever after together. Come on - they are drawn and written to be very close. Rainbows of certain colours are even drawn in a few of the pages.

'Once Upon a Witch's Broom' - another gem for witch fans everywhere.

Everyone is different. Everyone has a unique skill and ability - a relic, that makes them them - and it doesn't mean they are less. It makes them truly special, and it is something to be proud of.

It makes them fly, like on a witch's broom. It makes them magical.


"Nothing needs to be perfect. I only have to be myself."


Final Score: 4/5

P.S. I just realised that this is my 900th review. Huh.

Graphic Novel Review - 'Cleopatra in Space, Book One: Target Practice' by Mike Maihack

'Cleopatra in Space' - a children's comic containing some of the best, most exciting action scenes I've ever seen in the graphic novel media, as well as one of the most genuinely kickarse action heroines ever.

It is a stupid comic with one of the stupidest, farthest-out-there premises to be conceived by a human, but it's the fun kind of stupid - it has fun with its premise and just rolls with it.

A fifteen-year-old Cleopatra - apparently the Cleopatra - when sneaking into a hidden tomb, is mysteriously transported who-knows-how-many-millennia into the future, on another planet, in another galaxy entirely...where she becomes a sci-fi action heroine in a universe filled with aliens and high tech inventions, vehicles, and weapons. And connections and references to ancient Egypt. And cats. Lots of talking space cats.

One of them is a descendant of Cleopatra's pet cat, who is now her mentor.

She is prophesised to be the hero of the galaxy, but she still has to go to school and attend classes, much to her annoyance. But target practice class, and combat class, are her favourite and forte. Not ideal when she should additionally be the hero of lost knowledge, and a wise queen.

It's all as mad as it sounds, and it is awesome.

Like a slightly dark 'Atomic Betty'.

Cleopatra is very much a cartoon character here, like every other character. 'Cleopatra in Space' portrays her as a bored, snarky, rebellious teen who is careless, disrespectful, selfish, reckless and impulsive, who dislikes academia and parties, and disregards pretty much everything and everyone around her. She's a normal teenager, then; far from the powerful queen she is meant to be, from both history and in-story (sidenote: at the beginning of the story, in ancient Egypt, Cleopatra gets out of class by drugging her teacher, which actually sounds in line with her real life self as well as her cartoony rebel self where she fights aliens and robots in space). She's an excellent fighter and sharpshooter, so at the moment she's on her way to becoming a hero in the practical sense, valuing brawn and reflexes over brains.

She's no angsty teen; the comic isn't too concerned with the quippy princess's homesickness and missing her family and friends back in her own time and on her own planet. This young girl, who has just been forced into an entirely unfamiliar, confusing, overwhelming, scary and dangerous environment and situation, and who has just learned that everyone she ever knew is long dead, acclimates surprisingly quickly. She barely mentions anyone from her home, and even then not fondly. It's implied that maybe she is thinking about finding a way to travel back on her own, to keep herself sane. She's not onboard with the whole saviour of the galaxy prophecy, but that ties into her overall irresponsibleness and thoughtlessness; it is not framed as a reasonable reaction to the most demented, literally spaced-out situation anyone has ever found themselves in.

Her anachronistic, modern teen use of language, and attitude - to the point where she prefers to be called "Cleo" - are more amusing than annoying and distracting. Clearly 'Cleopatra in Space' is not meant to be taken seriously.

I think I don't mind the above points I've made because I actually find it to be really refreshing that a female protagonist doesn't give a shit about anything, especially in something aimed at children. Cleo gets on with the action, improvising as she goes along, and her ideas work out. She slowly but surely shows signs of future development. From bored, sheltered, insensitive, apathetic princess to smart, worldly (or universal, as the case is) and thoughtful queen.

I also adore her relationship with her school roommate, Akila. Female friendships forever!

Speaking of, Cleo's connection to the current queen of the alien planet she's stranded enslaved studying on, who looks like her, looks to be very interesting...

'Cleopatra in Space, Book One: Target Practice' is a guilty pleasure to be sure. It's fun, action-packed, kinetic and energetic, with a young, wild, impulsive and funny POC female lead. She's a REAL queen, baby! The comic contains genuinely good and witty jokes.

The only serious negative criticism I can give it is its cover has Cleo's male human friend, the inventor Brian, on it instead of Akila, when Brian comparatively plays a very small part in the volume.

On the subject of that friendship dynamic, there are hints of a love triangle looming on the horizon, on an uncomfortably near nebula - even a love square, judging by the blurb of the sequel volume. So for self-care reasons, I won't be following any more of 'Cleopatra in Space'. I want to keep the fun, carefree and awesomely kickarse cosmic Cleopatra fresh and untainted in my memory. And come on, why give her any kind of love life when she should be processing her truly traumatic circumstances? And be concerned about returning home - vague, mysterious alien threats be damned? (Yeah, the "main villain", the tyrannical data-looting Xaius Octavian, isn't made into a character yet, only an infodump player as part of Cleo's call to adventure.)

To end on: I have to praise the children's comic for overtly accentuating the importance of knowledge and recorded histories, to go with its batshit, mischievous premise, humour, colours, and action set pieces.

Cosmic action heroine Cleopatra FTW!

Final Score: 3.5/5

P.S. When it comes to sci-fi comics starring female protagonists and legions of talking, deceitful cats, I like this better than 'Monstress'. Bizarre to compare them, I know, when the two have nothing else in common, including tonally and aesthetically. The age gap between their target audiences alone is a huge, scary void. As to how I could I favour 'Cleopatra in Space'? I guess I prefer a breezy, simple action adventure that wants to entertain its readers, over being overwhelmed and mindf****d with too much information and too many ideas and characters on every page.

P.P.S. Unpopular opinion: I find 'Cleopatra in Space' to be more enjoyable than 'Zita the Spacegirl'. There, I said it. I'm not taking it back.

Graphic Novel Review - 'Lily Halfmoon: The Magic Gems' by Xavier Bonet, Marie Trinchant (Translator)

This new, obscure, opaque, opal little gem (ok already I'm done with the confused wordplay and puns) brought me right back to my much younger, magical girl power loving years, which I honestly never outgrew.

'Lily Halfmoon' is like 'W.I.T.C.H.' and 'Winx Club'. There's a little of 'Sailor Moon', 'Zodiac Starforce' and 'Avalon: Web of Magic' in it, and it's like an elementary school version of 'Over My Dead Body' by Sweeney Boo.

I happened upon this comic - the English translated, paperback edition - by chance in my local bookshop, and I couldn't stop thinking about the title, the colours, and the fact it's about witchcraft and a witch school. On my quest to find and consume every witch media there is, I knew I had to read it, and thank the goddesses I ended up enjoying it.

'Lily Halfmoon: The Magic Gems' is soft, colourful, pastel, delightful, whimsical, and so darn cute. Really, the artwork is wonderful, beautiful and fantastic, if a bit manga-esque.

It's one of those stories that contains everything I love, or junior me would have loved to death: magic, girl power, magical girl powers, witchcraft, a secret witches' school, gems, a moonstone, a moon theme, a friendship theme, cute little animals/familiars (like a fox, an owl, and an axolotl!), and mentioning the goddess Artemis!

If only it weren't so short at 70 pages, though it does its job well in those pages, and there is a sequel. There is much more to be developed, and discovered. Even with its few pages of interesting witchy information, plus there are the very small and limited character bios at the end that barely reveal anything.

A sweet, adorable, magical book. Kids are sure to gobble it up.

To end my short review of the short comic, below is the 'Lily Halfmoon' witches' pledge in the witches' Library, which I do not entirely trust, of course, as you'll read:


Witches and Wizards,
Sorcerers and Enchanters,
By the magic granted to you,
You must solemnly promise:

To endeavour to complete
The Three Tests and discover your unique power.

To use the resources of The Library and
your own powers wisely and for the greater good.

To protect those who cannot protect
themselves, whether or not they request your
help or believe they need it.

To never reveal the existence of
The Library and the knowledge it contains
to those who cannot use magic, and to keep
your own powers as well as your peers'
a secret forever.


Final Score: 3.5/5