Sidekicks [Paperback]

Dan Santat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2011 | Age Range: 8 and up

Look up in the sky! It's a BOLD new graphic novel about SUPERHERO PETS!

Captain Amazing, superhero and savior of Metro City, is getting old. He's out all hours battling arch-villains, catching thieves, and helping little old ladies cross the street. He doesn't even have time for his house full of pets. He needs - a SIDEKICK!

Captain Amazing's four pets agree. But each one of them thinks HE should get the sidekick spot - and a chance for one-on-one time with the Captain. Get ready for sibling rivalry royale as pets with superpowers duke it out for the one thing they all want - a super family.

A BOLD and BRILLIANT graphic novel romp by whiz kid Dan Santat.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dan Santat wrote and illustrated the graphic novel SIDEKICKS, and has also illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including OH NO! (OR HOW MY SCIENCE PROJECT DESTROYED THE WORLD) by Mac Barnett. He lives in Alhambra, California. Please visit his website at http://www.dantat.com

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (July 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439298199
• ISBN-13: 978-0439298193
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Superheroes
  • #31 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pets

More About the Author

One day a year he is Santa Claus, but the other 364 days Dan Santat
writes and illustrates children's books.

He is also the creator of Disney's animated hit, "The Replacements"

Dan graduated with honors from the Art Center, College of Design.

He lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, a dog, a bird, and one cat.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Fine story but no female characters September 20, 2012

By Sonja VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Okay, so this is my pet peeve, and maybe you don't care about this, but books with no female characters (or only token female characters, like a mother or something) really annoy me. Okay, so Captain Amazing is a male character. Fine. But do ALL of his FOUR pets have to be male too? No girls? Really? Why not? As the mother of two daughters, this is a sticking point for me.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars As plain as you can get for a kid's comic. October 23, 2011

By Armando N. Roman VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The cover and plot summary for Sidekicks caught my interest when I was going through the Vine products last month. A bunch of pets trying out to be their master's new sidekick sounded fun, and Dan Santat seemed to have a good reputation. I know this comic is more for kids than adults but I know this wouldn't have been something I'd have read more than once when I was younger. Sidekicks is very tame, only really focuses on two characters, and the art style leaves a bit to be desired when you notice that everyone has about 3 facial expressions they use through the whole book. It's not a bad comic but it could've at least used characters with character.

Captain Amazing is getting up there in years, and is starting to need a little help when saving the city from all kinds of villains. So he sets up an audition for people to try their hand at being his sidekick. He has two pets, Roscoe the dog and Fluffy the hamster, that want that job. Another pet, Shifty the chameleon, joins the family when he arrives at Captain Amazing's home in a huge shipping box. Fluffy's the first to start training to be a sidekick when he chases after a raccoon that stole an iPod, but things take a turn for the worse when he's stopped by three hungry cats. At the same time, Captain Amazing's nemesis has been released from jail, claiming to be a reformed man, a DNA transfer device has been stolen, and there are mysterious claw marks being left all over town. Crazy, huh?

Apart from Roscoe and Fluffy constantly making the same huge-eyed, huge-mouthed faces in the beginning, Sidekicks started out pretty good. It was funny seeing Captain Amazing, someone who's basically a one-man army, have an allergic reaction to peanuts when fighting crime. Jokes weren't forced, and the overall tone of the comic is tame. But once the real training to be a sidekick takes place, it seems like everything's rushed. There are barely any lessons learned, not much training being done, and then we're suddenly at the climax. My biggest problem though is that the characters aren't very interesting or likable, apart from Manny the cat. Roscoe is a straight-up jerk most of the time, Fluffy is just following orders, and Shifty...well, he has one important part 1/3 through the book and that's about it. He's basically just a 'me too' character that doesn't have any personality and is around just to have an extra character to chip in with a line here and there. You'd think the color changing ability would come in handy a lot more often than it's used here. It was also weird seeing Roscoe be scared of getting hit with a giant heap of mechanical junk later one, after he had no problem getting hit by a speeding car earlier in the book. His power is like Colossus' from X-Men: he can coat himself in metal, so why be scared of getting hit by something less dangerous than a car?

Sidekicks has a cute resolution but getting to it was a bit boring. I would've liked more work on the characters, like giving Shifty a purpose, and having Fluffy be someone you could cheer on since he's seemingly helpless. There isn't anything unique about the book to make it stand out aside from the story being about pets. There's no special art style, humor or touch that I can see. Again, it's not a terrible book- just very average. Now that I think about it, the book felt like a rough draft of something that was going to be much better once the final version came out. Maybe they could do an animated movie or series based on this and flesh everything out more?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good superhero story! December 20, 2012

By Kurt A. Johnson

Format:Hardcover

With Captain Amazing growing older, he feels that the time has come to get a new sidekick. His dog Roscoe (alias Metal Mutt) feels that now is the time to show him what he can do. Captain Amazing's pet hamster, Fluffy (no alias, and no superpowers) decides that he can fight crime as well. With the help of Captain Amazing's old sidekick and pet cat Manny (alias Static Cat), Fluffy learns what he needs to become truly heroic...and before all is said and done, everyone's going to be impressed!

OK, this book is every bit as goofy as it sounds...and it's funny and entertaining from beginning to end! I love a good superhero story, and was surprised to find that this one was indeed a very good superhero story!

Is this a kid's book? I suppose so. But, I really, really liked it. This is a great superhero book for the young and the young at heart!