Pizzasaurus Rex

Gr 4-7-After years of being made fun of, Jeremy Duderman finally has an invention that will show everyone he is one of the greatest scientific minds. His Reality Alternative Dimensionator (R.A.D.) brings Rex Raditude, a guitar-playing, skateboarding dinosaur, to our world. But a dangerous enemy who emerges from the portal that R.A.D. opens up is bent on destroying Rex and all things cool, unless Rex and Jeremy can stop him. Wagner has created a love letter to late 1980s and 1990s cartoons. Cleanly illustrated and brightly colored, this is an entertaining, light story. Each chapter feels like an episode of a TV show; readers can drop in at any moment and understand what's going on, but there's still a larger narrative arc (and big finale). A rapid succession of jokes and setups keep the punchlines coming, either hitting hard or missing the target entirely, with subtle references that adults will pick up on. Wagner relies on stock characters (the bullied nerd, the bumbling henchmen), and some, such as the damsel in distress, feel clichéd at times, but they have their own time to shine during dramatic encounters. VERDICT Fun and funny, this will be a hit among graphic novel fans and parents of a certain generation.-Thomas Jonte, Pensacola State College, FL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Can a pizza-obsessed dino from another dimension help a hapless scientist?Jeremy Duderman, a bespectacled scientist, may have a brilliant mind, but he is socially clueless: He is slow to recognize when he is bullied, he has difficulty recalling his female assistant's name (Lexi), and he's oblivious to her affection for him. When one of his experiments proves successfulan interdimensional portal called the Reality Alternative Dimensionatorit accidentally unleashes pizzasaurus Rex Raditude, a skateboarding reptile from another dimension, and the lame goons chasing him. With Emperor Buzzkill, a disembodied brain determined to make every dimension uncool, hot on their tails, will Rex, Jeremy, and Lexi be able to stop them? Told with lots of busy, action-driven panels and bathed in 1980s skater-dude lingo, the tale owes much to such retro cartoons as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, and Jem for inspiration. However, this nostalgia takes an unfortunate turn; lab assistant Lexi only becomes "radical" when she is given a sexy makeover and a shortened hemline. Similarly, Jeremy's transformation happens only when he loses his glasses and grows a set of bulging muscles, perpetuating hackneyed clichs; that Jeremy and Lexi are both white only reinforces the retrograde approach. While the concept is certainly lively, it's not enough to lift the book above its flaws.Pass. (Graphic science fiction. 7-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.