Ocean's revenge by Gavin Aung Than

Super sidekicks book two. Puffin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143795889. Unpaged.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Junior Justice, Flygirl, Dinomite and Goo, return in their second Super Sidekicks adventure. The Prologue page reacquaints us with these resourceful assistants and Captain Perfect, one of their former bosses. Fittingly, all nine celebrity superheroes are sidelined in chapter one - kidnapped one by one, by an ancient Babylonian sea goddess, Tiamata.
By chapter two, we see the Super Sidekicks step up as a destructive ocean monster approaches Sydney unchallenged. The Mother of the Seas, sick of humans using the oceans as a junkyard, has animated the Trash Titan, but has Tiamata underestimated the Sidekicks' powers?
Will the Sidekicks be capable of wisdom and compromise, unlike their obnoxious superhero mentors and the various international leaders? Does the politicians' reluctance to give and take in order to save humankind from the Trash Titan menace, draws clear parallels to the real-world struggles of climate activists against the current world order?
Taking young readers beyond perceived comic book entertainment, this black and white graphic novel alludes to our collective assault on the environment and science, with a timely message. The lovely thing is that the meek appear to have the answers, not the entitled demigods of culture or politics.
The endpapers contain a drawing lesson as Than, a talented cartoonist responsible for the syndicated Zen Pencils creations, shares his creative process with his fans. Download free posters and more @ aungthan.com
No Adults Allowed is the first adventure in the Super SideKicks series and Book Three, Trial of Heroes is due in 2020. Collect all Super SideKicks if you're a fan of classic comic books. Teacher's notes are available.
Deborah Robins