Life is so very hard for Justin. His parents make him do his homework instead of playing video games. His teacher wants him to do his best in school. And his twin brother, Jeremy, not only looks just like him but loves him and wants to spend quality time with him as well. But all of that's going to change when Justin finds a magic ring in his box of cereal.
The ring will grant any wish. Since Justin wants to play video games all the time, the ring obliges. Now Justin is living out his favorite game, Cosmic Commandos, in real-life. As giant aliens, flying robots, and living balls of snot attack his city, Justin finds himself unable to get past the boss levels. As his energy drains, Justin becomes weaker and unable to complete his missions. Thankfully, Jeremy has been reading up on the game manual. But can he help his twin brother before Justin's energy level reaches zero?
Cosmic Commandos was a fun read by Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius' Christopher Eliopoulos. This 2017 all-ages graphic novel by Dial Books is his first independent title. Young Readers will instantly recognize Eliopoulos' style from his illustrations of Brad Meltzer's Ordinary People Change the World Series. But parents might recognize other comic influences on this book in the form of Charles Schulz and Bill Watterson.
First of all, the children all look like characters from Peanuts. But it's not a straight rip-off. Justin is not drawn to look like Charlie Brown nor is Jeremy Linus. But when Jeremy gets said at his brother rejecting him, you can see Charles Schulz's influence on Eliopoulos's art. Why even the school is named after Schulz- another subtle tribute that only the adults will catch.
When it comes to the imaginative plot, there's a lot of Calvin and Hobbes at play. The legendary comic strip by Bill Watterson had day dreamer Calvin wishing he was space explorer Spaceman Spiff instead of being stuck in class. Justin is very much Calvin, to the point he's a bit of a brat- a very annoying brat. Also, in Peanuts, you don't see grown-ups, but you do here and they look very much like Calvin's mom and dad.
By the end of the book, I was very much wanting it not to end. I'm very glad it ended on a high note because for the first couple of chapters, I really didn't like Justin. So much that I was ready to throw the book across. But I stuck with the book and was duly rewarded with the ending.
Speaking of endings, I would be very happy if this book stopped where it did. Yet I would also be open to a sequel. Regardless, I hope to see more entertaining all-age adventures from Christopher Eliopoulos in the very near future.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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