The Epic Origin of Super Potato : Book 1

Super Max has it all. He's a superhero with a flashy uniform and a great head of hair. Sure, sometimes the evil Dr. Malevolent pops up to cause trouble. But Super Max has defeated the villain over and over again.

This time is different. This time, Dr. Malevolent's plan works . . . and he turns the handsome hero into a tiny tuber! But there's one thing the doctor didn't count on. The potato still has powers, and justice takes many forms. Super Max may be gone . . . but it's Super Potato's time to fly!

This hilarious, irreverent graphic novel series will entice fans of Captain Underpants and The Lego Batman Movie. Spanish cartoonist Artur Laperla presents the adventures of a costumed crime-fighter who turns into a potato and becomes a bigger hero than ever. He faces off against sinister scientists, slugs from space, giant chickens, and more in a series of graphic novels perfect for reluctant readers.

"Super Max has a luxurious blond coiffure, a cape, big muscles (737, to be exact), and an outsized ego. So, it's humiliating when Doctor Malevolent shoots him with a new weapon and turns him into a potato. Now, he's Super Potato, a tiny figure with spindly arms and legs, and he's devastated: 'Super Potato cries like a baby surrounded by onions.' He still has superpowers, though, and once he rigs up a new costume for his potato-shaped self, he's ready to do battle with Doctor Malevolent (who looks like a slimmed-down Gru from Despicable Me) again. Super Patata has been available in Laperla's home of Spain for several years; this is its U.S. debut, and its uncredited English translation sounds natural and doesn't fumble. Laperla's parody strikes an easy comedic tone from the first page, and its wackiness unspools effortlessly. Full-color panel artwork combines caricature with handsomely drafted backgrounds of cityscapes and spaceships, and Laperla nails Super Potato's expressions of rage and exasperation. A promising start to a series with appeal to strong and reluctant readers alike."--Publishers Weekly

--Journal

"Super Max is devoted to fighting crime, especially Dr. Malevolent, and looking good. When Super Max learns that Dr. Malevolent has stolen a priceless statue, he heads to his nemesis's not-so-secret hideout to retrieve it. But Dr. Malevolent uses his new weapon on Super Max, transforming him into a potato. This is just the beginning of a hilarious story about a hero who needs to adjust to new circumstances. Laperla offers obvious and subtle humor, appealing to a variety of readers. Kids will get a kick out of the over-the-top action and enjoy watching Super Max come to accept his new role as a tiny tuber. The bright cartoons will draw in even the most reluctant readers, who will be happy to know that the series continues--this volume ends with a call for Super Potato to capture yet another outlandish villain. VERDICT A zany, funny selection that will entertain kids and the adults who might be reading over their shoulders."--starred, School Library Journal

--Journal

"Super Max is the kind of crime fighter who fixes his hair before flying to the rescue and asks his mirror who's the handsomest superhero of them all. So when his archenemy, Doctor Malevolent, turns him into a potato, Max's ego takes the hardest blow. Overcoming this hardship with a new potato-sized costume, he mashes Doctor Malevolent's plan to starch-ify the rest of the city. With the fiend at his mercy, the hero learns that turning potatoes back into people is impossible, which gives him a chance to prove that compassion is central to true heroism. The predicament also sets the character up for future, potato-shaped adventures. The art punches things up considerably, with well-constructed, flowing page layouts, humorously extreme reaction shots, and a stark and vibrant color palette that feels both classical and unique. If Loony Tunes was in the superhero business, this is something it might have baked up. A superhero romp with some age-appropriate examples of heroic behavior and a nonstop torrent of gags that work a decent portion of the time."--Booklist

--Journal