Fann Club: Batman Squad (Family Comic Friday)

Young Ernest Fann is the biggest Batman fanatic there is. Wearing a homemade costume and practicing brooding from great heights (of about 6 feet off the floor), Ernest is a superhero just like his idol, the Dark Knight! Ernest just started a Batman club called the Batman Squad in which other aspiring superheroes can learn the skills of Batman to become their bestest heroic selves.

Things are going great at first. Ernest has 3 members enrolled in the club. Training to find clues is going well. They've all found a lot of clues. Just no mysteries. Then Ernest and a pal decide to visit the local bank where an actual bank robbery is taking place. Can Ernest as Gerbilwing and bud Jack as Nightstand save the day?

Written and illustrated by Catwad's Jim Benton, I was excited to read this book. But the artwork kinda worried me a bit. It looked an awful lot like this running short on Cartoon Network from a few years back. The Claymation segments were of heroes like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman all talking about life as a superhero. Only you couldn't understand what anyone was saying because the voices were of kids with these thick British accents. It just was horrible. As Benton's characters all looked like those characters, I thought maybe whomever created those shorts were behind this young reader graphic novel. 

Then I saw on the cover that Jim Benton created Catwad, and I am a big fan of that character, so I gave this book a try! I'm glad I did because this was a funny book that had Monty Python type humor that was so unexpected, I laughed out loud several times. The humans may have looked very non human. But I loved the Batman villains that pop up in Ernest's daydreams and that stray cat who pops up from time to time was hilarious.

Recommended for readers ages 8-12. Parents of readers under age 10 might have a little bit of problem with some of the material. There's a small bit of potty humor in this book. A small amount of Peanuts level violence. The bank robber does carry a gun. However, the ending is the type of thing you'd expect in Mr. Roger's Neighborhood because no way in the world is a bank ever going to hire the guy who robbed it to be their new security guard!

I'd actually enjoy reading more about Ernest and his friends. Maybe they'll take a field trip to Gotham City in hopes of running into their hero. That would be exciting and I bet Jim Benton could make the encounter a laugh riot!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Catwad: It's Me, Two (Family Comic Friday)

Family Comic Friday digs into it's massive read pile to introduce you to an all-ages romp starring your new favorite grumpy cat, Catwad!

Catwad: It's Me, TwoWritten and Illustrated by Jim Benton
Published by Scholastic
Pages: 128
Retail: $8.99

2019 was not a good year for cat icons. We lost both the frowny-faced Siamese, Grumpy Cat and the adorable Lil Bub with her ever present tongue that stuck out. With their losses, this cat lover's heart was ripped into shreds. Thankfully, 2019 introduced us to a new adorable kitty- Catwad!

Catwad is a sarcastic blue fur ball who lives with his roommate, the rather dim Blurmp. Catwad loves terrorize Blurmp from making him think that there are zombies in the basement to playing a wide assortment of practical jokes. However, a lot of times the joke is on Catwad as much of Blurmp's antics gets his roommate into some sticky situations- literally!

Catwad is the creation of Clyde's Jim Benton. Benton builds upon the formula of a snarky cat who is bothered by his housemates, like with Jim Davis' Garfield. But Benton adds alternate dimensions, fantasy and twist endings to make Catwad a truly unique comic. I chuckled so many times at the antics of these two kitties.

What really makes Catwad so funny is the writing. Jim Benton has got to be a cat owner. Because someone with an aversion to gatos would not be able to capture the way those crazy felines act. I could so see some of my cats getting into the mischief Catwad and Blurmp do.

This collection of short stories might have an occasional zombie or vampire, but they're not scary.  Catwad is recommended for readers aged 8-12 but I think older readers and grown-ups will enjoy this too. There's a hint of Ren and Stimpy in this book without the intense level of gross-outs. Though some parents make object to some of the Tom and Jerry acts of violence that occur in this book.

For example, one more than one occasion, Catwad loses his tail by some mishap. But by the next story, it's grown back. (I think Alfred, my tailless wonder, would love to be able to do that!)

It's Me, Two is the second collection of Catwad stories. The first book, It's Me debuted in the Spring of 2019. If the young reader in your life falls in love with these felines, then be on the look out for book three, set to debut this April!

Need some laughs? Then let the cat out of the book with these hilarious collections published by Scholastic!

The first two volumes of Catwad are currently available in print and digital formats!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.