Agent Spike and the Vegetables of Doom

Review also includes:

Aargh, it’s an Alien!, Karen Wallace, ill. Michael Reid, ‎978-0713663075

These titles are volumes 19 and 20 in the ‘Comix’ series aimed at our old friend the ‘newly-independent’ reader – cleanly presented, no frills, with clear typefaces linking cartoon illustrations and, mercifully, keeping the action sequential which is a great help to the inexperienced. Agent Spike solves a ‘veg plot’ while preventing a ‘leek reaching the press’ in a rather frail story whose central idea is not really sustainable to the required length, and whose puns may not be the most helpful to the novice reader who may well have spelling as shaky as reading.

Aargh… takes on the issue of the emotionally abandoned child of ‘successful’ working parents. Hero Albert remains undaunted in his cheerful campaign to make his parents notice him, aided and abetted by the friendly ‘aliens’. Many children will sympathise with him on some level – most have experienced the ‘too busy’ response at times! The latter is more substantial than Spike but either would be of some interest to new readers.