The superhero Captain Amazing is getting older, and he could use some help on the job. When he announces his
plan to hold auditions for a sidekick, no one is more excited than his own pets, Roscoe the dog and Fluffy the hamster. Their beloved human is always out saving the city, and they miss him at home. Becoming his new sidekick would mean spending lots of time with him, and Roscoe and Fluffy are both determined to audition. Even Captain Amazing’s brand-new pet, a chameleon named Shifty, is interested in trying out.
Roscoe is a large dog with his own superpowers. Shifty can at least use his chameleon camouflage to sneak around. But Fluffy has never demonstrated any special abilities, and, well, he’s a hamster. Still, he won’t give up. Fluffy and Shifty team up to practice fighting crime… and find an unexpected ally who helps them learn how to be heroes. And they’ll need all the help they can get, because some major supervillainy is afoot.
This is a fun romp with cool powers, crime-fighting action, humor, and heart. Captain Amazing’s pets have very different personalities: Roscoe is bossy and impatient, Fluffy is determined and clever, and Shifty is nervous and excitable. There is also Manny, the jaded superhero cat who becomes Fluffy and Shifty’s mentor. What they all have in common is courage and caring about each other, even if they don’t always know how to express it. As the pets learn how to be heroes, they also learn how to be a family.
The art uses color, texture, lighting, and perspective to create a rich world that feels three-dimensional, like moving through a video game. The human characters are detailed and on the realistic end of the cartoon spectrum, while the animal characters are more caricatured. They are also partially anthropomorphic: their front paws are hands with opposable thumbs, Fluffy and Shifty walk on their hind legs, and all the animals have very human facial expressions. The artist makes good use of superhero-comic visual tropes like action lines, midair poses, and dramatic rooftop silhouettes. There is a wide and dynamic range of panel layouts, especially during action scenes, which adds visual interest and increases the sense of movement and drama.
This volume was originally published in 2011. This 2024 edition includes sixteen new pages at the end, which hint at an intriguing connection between Captain Amazing, Manny, and certain other characters. (No spoilers!) The art style in these pages is different: both appear to be created digitally, but the original art has a smoother, more painted-looking style, while the new art has sharp, fine black outlines and more visible digital “brushstrokes,” making it feel more like a drawing than the immersive, three-dimensional looking original art.
Like most superhero stories, this one involves some peril and violence. No one dies, but there are some close calls and injuries. The main supervillain, in the big final showdown scene, is quite menacing.
This book will already be familiar to some readers from its 2011 version, but the new edition presents an opportunity to hand it to a new crop of young readers who like superhero and action stories with heart. Fans of the original will also be happy to learn that this new edition is Book One in a series, with three sequels in the works.
Sidekicks Book One, Vol. 1
By Dan Santat
Scholastic GRAPHIX, 2024
ISBN: 9781338879155
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Creator Representation: Thai-American,
