MAX AND THE SUPERHEROES

A little boy’s obsession with his favorite superhero turns out to be not an obsession at all in this Spanish import.

“Max is crazy about superheroes.” He loves to dress like one, and he reads every comic book he can get his hands on. All superheroes are awesome, but Max’s absolute favorite is Megapower. She wears a short blue dress with a gold lightning bolt on it as well as a long red cape, red cowl, and red boots. Some of his friends are skeptical about a female superhero, but Max knows that Megapower can deactivate bombs, program computers, and “control a million robots at once.” She’s superintelligent and incredibly strong, and she has “amazing ultravision.” Max knows all this because he knows Megapower. She takes him to fabulous places and displays her superpowers all over the house. Best of all is “when she puts on her Mommy costume and gives Max a kiss good night.” Cleverly, Bonilla and Malet reveal Max’s superhero secret rather than explicitly stating it. The story enumerates Megapower’s skills twice, once with illustrations of conventional fantastic feats (like hoisting a train) and once around the house (like rescuing a cat), still in costume. The illustrations blend a loose line-and-watercolor style for Max and his world with the closely modeled look of a comic book, a contrast that’s especially effective in Megapower’s scenes at home. The cast appears to be an all-white one.

Mommy rules! Delightful.