SUPER PIG

Super Pig dreams of being a superhero, but his effort to realize his goal leads to super problems.

In this second book in the series, translated from Spanish and Catalan, Bitmax, the android narrator, community leader, and friend to all, tells the story of Super Pig and his delusions of heroism. He crash-lands on a forest friend in an attempt to fly, injures himself while trying to perform outlandish feats of strength, and, in general, instigates enough mischief in the forest for humans to investigate, creating a perilous situation. In a flashback, readers see a comic book–reading Super Pig yearning to become a superhero; Evo, a bespectacled orange creature with ill intentions, capitalizes on this, giving the pig a costume. Super Pig becomes a menace. Bitmax reasons with Super Pig, trying to show him he doesn’t have superpowers, but, egged on by Evo, Super Pig doesn’t change his ways until a bad decision finally helps him understand who his real friends are and what his true superpower is. While colorful and detailed illustrations will draw in readers, several pages, including Bitmax's lengthy introduction, bog the narrative down. Narrator changes during the flashback may confuse some readers, especially those unfamiliar with graphic novels.

A mixed bag likely to appeal most to experienced comics readers.