Super Magic Boy: I Am a Dinosaur (Family Comic Friday)

From the creator of Red Panda and Moon Bear comes this fun new series about a young boy with magic powers and an amazing imagination!

Hugo is the Super Magic Boy. He can smash furniture. He can climb the highest mountains. And he can change into a dinosaur. 

In this opening volume, Hugo meets a dinosaur and decides to see what life is like as a thunder lizard by changing into one. 

As a dinosaur, Hugo finds buried treasure that is guarded by the Skeleton King. That's the moment where this series hits its sweet spot. The dinosaur, Hugo meets, aptly named Dino, is a fun character. But he's a bit too rambunctious, getting Hugo into trouble by destroying the boy's home. Skeleton King kinda balances Hugo out as in the second story, he and Hugo go on an adventure to find a new batch of cursed treasure to guard. Dinosaur is like the Cat in the Hat, lacking control of himself. Skeleton King is more like Oliver Hardy to Hugo's Stan Laurel. (If you younger folks don't know who those guys are, check out Youtube for some of their hilarious antics!)

That second story in my opinion was comedy gold as Hugo and the Skeleton King when on a search for some golden treasure. The opening story, 'I am a Dinosaur' had the same energy. Possibly too much, if you ask me. In the scene where Hugo and the Dinosaur are digging, they first come upon a water main, proclaiming the broken pipe to be a 'magic water stick.' Okay, I got a laugh at that. But as they kept digging, Dinosaur found some underground electrical lines that Hugo touches and was shocked by. I felt that the scene went a bit too far because damaged power lines are not something to play with. So hopefully, parents and guardians will be made aware of this scene and discuss electrical safety as kids like to dig in the dirt and potentially could strike an underground line.

This book also has some Magic Bonus Material which is something I love in all ages comics and graphic novels as these activities continue the fun once the story is finished but also further imagination and learning through play. Here, Jarod Rosello teaches young readers how to draw Hugo and Dino along with a creative page showing kids how to become a dinosaur like Hugo does in the book. Paper, pencil and crayons are needed for the art work. A sense of wonder is required for turning into a dinosaur.

If you have a 9-12 year old that likes the Red Panda and Moon Bear books and they have a younger sibling, then the first book in the Super Magic Boy series is sure to become a source of entertainment that they book can enjoy and bond to. Like the Red Panda and Moon Bear series, this book is available in both an English language edition and a volume en Espanol. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Red Panda and Moon Bear (Family Comics Friday)

This Family Comics Friday, we head to sunny Florida to catch up on the hilarious adventures of the world’s two newest (and possibly youngest) superheroes, Red Panda and Moon Bear!

Red Panda and Moon Bear TPBWritten and illustrated by: Jarod Rosello
Published by Top Shelf Productions
Pages: 193
Retail: $14.99

The sister and brother duo of Red Panda and Moon Bear are the defenders of their Floribbean community. They keep their neighbors safe from everything; from a pair of bad dogs to a disappearing apartment building to the most adorable but destructive beings in the universe. If there is evil in the barrio, Red Panda and Moon Bear will be there to defeat it!

This graphic novel was extremely funny. I’ve worked with kids for a number of years and both Red Panda and Moon Bear sound like kids do! The heroes come up with inventive yet far-fetched inventions to defeat crime. Only these gadgets work! Well, most do...

This is author/illustrator Jarod Rosello’s third work; his first however, for kids. I’m hoping that Rosello continues to write for younger readers because he does it extremely well. Here's to hoping that we might also see more adventures of Red Panda and Moon Bear!

Jarod Rosello is a Cuban-American writer. His background shows in many facets of this book from the smattering of Spanish words to the various Caribbean ethnic backgrounds of the many residents of our heroes’ hometown. This book is definitely a cultural account of his Florida upbringing. Though I doubt he got his superpowers from a magic hoodie like Red Panda and Moon Bear did.

The art was cartoonish and comical. It had notes of Adventure Time with Jake and Finn. But those arms! They looked as if made from the same rubbery substance of those of Mister Fantastic; just minus all the elastic. But as the recommended age range from this book is of readers 9-12 years old, I don’t think anyone is going to complain.

Readers younger than 9 might find a couple of characters a little scary. There is a ghost in this book, but she’s kind. The use of Spanish words without any sort of English subtitles might be a tad difficult for those not familiar with the language. So grown-ups might be needed to help interpret some passages.

Overall, this is a silly but adventurous read that young readers will enjoy. Parents should find nothing objectionable. Though as mentioned earlier a couple of villains fought b Red Panda and Moon Bear may be too scary-looking for the youngest of readers. There’s still a few prime weeks of Summer reading left before the school year starts. Make Red Panda and Moon Bear a part of it now!

Red Panda and Moon Bear debuted in print and digital platforms on July 23, 2019.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.