Astronaut Academy: Splashdown

February 15, 2021
Roman loves to drop names. The guests invited to trainee Maribelle Mellonbelly's spring-break beach party include "the Knights of the Ol' Republic, Frankie and Annette, Dick Dale," and Maribelle's podiatrist. Not all of them appear in the comic, but there are cultural references on nearly every page. Maribelle's "army of manservants," holding umbrellas, look like they belong in a Magritte painting. Martin Landau shows up, too. That's the name of the planet where the party takes place. The beach is "made up of the finest organic sand imported from highly scrutinized sources. Each of the 5,000,000,000,000,000 grains are individually numbered." The endless stream of jokes doesn't distract from the plot, pacing, or characterization--which don't seem to be the main point anyway--but rather flows along as new characters keep arriving. Readers who are jumping into the series with this title won't be lost, because people helpfully offer exposition: "Isn't that the giant robot that doubles as a spaceship piloted by Hakata's best friend?" All of the characters are adorable, like hastily drawn Hello Kitty figures, but taken from a broad array of cultural origins. The colorist duo the Wibowos give them dimension with their Technicolor palette. The climax, however, in which they "realign the planet's seven chakras"--all listed by name--is both slow and a little abstract. None of it makes much sense, but there's a merperson in hydraulic hydro-slacks. The book is so crammed with jokes it might be funnier read out of order. (Graphic science fiction. 10-14)

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December 1, 2021

Gr 3-5-Hakata Soy and his classmates at Astronaut Academy are officially on summer break and ready for adventure. Maribelle Mellonbelly decides to host an exclusive party on Beach Planet and invite everyone she knows-a bad decision, as arguments break out between friends and nemeses. Meanwhile, increasingly serious environmental issues threaten the inhabitants of Beach Planet, and soon it is up to the partygoers to band together and restore balance. Control and conflict resolution are important themes in this third series installment. For those who prefer steady linear narratives, the sometimes circuitous path and uneven pacing may be off-putting. However, those who stick with the narrative will find the book to be a fun, colorful read full of action. Hakata has tan skin and brown hair, Maribelle is white, and their class is a racially diverse group. VERDICT Recommended where the series is popular.

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