Sardine in Outer Space, Volume 2

Publishers Weekly

"Punky heroes, interplanetary action and unpredictable bouts of silliness characterize these hyperbolic color comics," wrote PW about the launch title Sardine in Outer Space by Emmanuel Guibert, illus. by Joann Sfar. Now, in Sardine in Outer Space 2, villainous Supermuscleman has a brainwashing machine that can control children. Can Sardine, Little Louie and Captain Yellow Shoulder stop him? Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

KLIATT - George Galuschak

Sardine in Outer Space chronicles the adventures of Sardine, Little Louie and their grown-up uncle, Captain Yellow Shoulder. Zooming through the cosmos in a kidney-shaped space ship, our heroes explore new worlds and make trouble for the nefarious Supermuscleman. They picnic on the planet Ouchypoo, where the cha-cha fly makes its home. This dreaded insect's bite makes you sing bad dance tunes. They visit Zargon, a carpet-covered planet inhabited by the Zargonites, who are all carpet salesmen. And of course, they make Supermuscleman's life difficult. Supermuscleman is the most powerful man in the Universe—we know this because he wears a skintight red costume. Despite his fearsome reputation, Supermuscleman is probably the most incompetent super-villain I've seen in my life. He constantly loses to a pair of kids and a pirate. Sardine in Outer Space is a good choice for younger teens, especially middle school readers. The lively, imaginative stories are designed for younger readers, and are as much fantasy as science fiction. The full-color art is cartoon-y and quite detailed; Sfar's aliens look like drawings by someone like Dr. Seuss or Maurice Sendak. Sardine in Outer Space contains potty humor—the cha-cha fly poops chocolate turds, and there is a reflection that shows Little Louie seemingly urinating on the planet Bubulina (where Supermuscleman makes his home). Recommended for graphic novel collections that cater to middle school readers.

Kirkus Reviews

Young space pirate Sardine checks in for a dozen more mini-adventures, in most of which she, her sidekick Little Louie and hulking captain Yellow Shoulder get the better of evil Supermuscleman and his rubbery orange minion Doc Krok. Along with occasional side trips to play soccer with a giant Dunderhead's detachable navel or to rescue Yellow Shoulder, the heroic pirates sabotage Supermuscleman's child brainwashing machine, treat him to an explosive set of Christmas presents and engage in a high speed chase along the Milky Way that ends suddenly when the Milk turns. In one episode that edges perilously close to over-the-top, a pair of his stuttering star thieves briefly captures them. All related in cartoon panels, printed on coated paper to brighten the colors and featuring easily legible lettering in big dialogue balloons, these episodes might seem a touch repetitious to adults, especially those familiar with volume one (May 2006), but they will keep the younger audiences to whom they're actually addressed chortling. (Graphic novel. 7-9)