Magic Pickle Graphic Novel (Paperback)

~ Scott Morse (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 3-5–After world-renowned scientist Dr. Jekyll Formaldehyde dropped his pickle into an experimental particle confabulator, he found himself in the possession of an unlikely but most noble superhero, Weapon Kosher. Now, after 50 years of cryogenic slumber, this pickle is supercharged, ready to face the Brotherhood of Evil Produce and fight for dill justice. The magic pickle teams up with Jo Jo Wigman, a sassy girl who has the questionable fortune of living above Dr. Formaldehyde's secret laboratory. This endearing and unlikely duo must take down the gang of evil, scientifically advanced superveggies before they reunite and do what rotten vegetables do best–reek havoc. This title's sly wit and fun, energetic art will be a great success with graphic novel fans and with those who appreciate puns and the kookier side of things.–Lauren Anduri, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Imagine grade-schooler Jojo Wigman’s surprise when a supersecret, superpowerful government weapon, Weapon Kosher, comes popping through her floor after decades in suspended animation. Imagine her annoyance when this flying, energy-blasting magic pickle takes on enemies such as the Romaine Gladiator instead of helping out with school-bully Lulu. Looks like it’s time for Jojo to campaign for a job as Weapon Kosher’s sidekick. Starting with an irresistibly goofy premise, Morse layers on sly humor, astute references, and blazing action, turning in a charming, slam-bang story that will leave children clamoring for the rest of the upcoming series. That his story addresses worthy age-appropriate school issues is a bonus, as is the fact that his art shows the style and uncontainable dynamism of comic legend Jack Kirby, whose pencil defined the superhero genre. This delightful surprise concludes with a smart-alecky How to Draw Produce section, yet another of Morse’s clever gags. Grades 2-4. --Jesse Karp

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: GRAPHIX (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439879957
• ISBN-13: 978-0439879958
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,404 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I don't want a pickle, I just wanna ride my motorcycle, April 20, 2008

By	E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I should begin this review by being straight with you. I am not an impartial reader of this book. There have been times, more in my life than I can count, when I have craved a dill pickle spear. I admit it. The cat is officially out of the bad. I love pickles and I'm not ashamed of the fact. And magic pickles do sound tasty. On the other hand, I'm also a picky graphic novel reader. There's so much tripe out there being produced for kids these days that anytime I get handed a new children's GN my immediate reaction is to cringe. And "Magic Pickle", for all its myriad charms, didn't necessarily look like something I might enjoy. Still, I gamely plucked it up and found to my surprise that not only is it readable and fun, I also detect a sly understated wit at work here. As understated as scientifically advanced super veggies can be, anyway. Since big green superheroes tend to be of the "Hulk, smash!" variety, I suggest you take a moment out of your day to try your hand at a smaller equally green superhero, unafraid of villainous produce or footie pajamas.

His origins are super secret . . . or at least they were until he crashed through the bedroom floor of little Jo Jo Wigman. The heroic product of a scientist's lunch and some particle confabulation, the pickle Weapon Kosher fights for truth, justice, yadda yadda yadda. Unfortunately, for every dill yin there's a rotten yang to contend with. The Brotherhood of Evil Produce has just come out of hiding after more than 50 years, and that means that it's time for the cryogenically frozen pickle to get back to serving justice. Of course, his lab is now located directly under the floor of young Jo Jo Wigman and she is NOT going to be kept out of the action. Jo Jo is fighting her own battles with the mean girl at school and it's possible that the pickle might be just the answer she's been looking for.

Morse's drawing style is this elastic, energetic series of shifting panels and inserts. Images are constantly overlapping or going panel-less for maximum effect. You might not recognize it on a first reading, but Morse is doing some pretty fancy footwork with this story. For example, when Jo Jo starts spinning a crazy story about how she is wearing her pajamas at the bus stop because it's the latest style and she's coming from a swank party, her backgrounds alternate between starbursts, swirls, and a kind of eclectic cut paper effect. Morse doesn't have to do this, y'know. In fact, it's much easier to just draw boxes and put people in them without all the subconscious imagery. Easier, but less thrilling in the long run. The book doesn't actually tell you who has done the coloring for this title, which is as pity. I don't know that we can assume that Morse does his own, since that's not always the job of the artist proper. If he IS the person responsible, though, then I doff my cap to him because the colors in this book are right proper.

My boss handed me this book with the note that it was hard to get around the name "The Romaine Gladiator". So consider this your warning: If you have a low tolerance for fruit and veggie nomenclature and tomfoolery, best to avoid this puppy. I, for my part, was kind of charmed by Morse's selections. Tell me you're not just the slightest bit taken with these names from The Brotherhood of Evil Produce: Phantom Carrot, Squish Squash, Peashooter, and Chili Chili Bang Bang. Even as you read them you can see how this book will benefit from being read aloud. My own dad used to read us comic books sometimes when I was a kid, and I'm sure there will be many a young lad and lass who will enjoy hearing the sound of the pickle's adventures.

Morse's dialogue sort of sealed the deal for me, though. Weapon Kosher is a very Captain America kind of speaker. If he had a chin, it would be cleft. Jo Jo, on the other hand, is very much a smart alecky kid. In their first exchange, Kosher initially accuses Jo Jo of being "an agent of evil." Her retort is a pointed, "Are you serious? I'm wearing footsie jimmies here." Of course, Jo Jo's cool head made it a bit difficult to believe that she really felt any suffering at the hands of the school's Queen Bee, Lu Lu Deederly. You never see Jo Jo all that downtrodden after an exchange. Not that I really minded, but it meant that she didn't have much of a story of her own to pair alongside Kosher's escapades.

Still, as new graphic novel series go, this one's a keeper. Even the requisite bad puns actually come off as funny (a near impossibility when you get right down to it). I may have had my fill of superhero graphic novels, but if you combine that old standard with the ingredients of a salad, the result is magic. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future pickle adventures to come.

3.0 out of 5 stars Magic Pickle, September 7, 2009

By	Shel Julian Kessel "SJ Kessel" (Columbus, Oh) - See all my reviews

Morse, S. (2008). Magic Pickle. New York: Graphix.

0439879957

MAGIC PICKLE! Doesn't a title like that just demand your attention? Okay, maybe not. But it demanded MY attention and since I have the attention span of a nine-year-old boy, it'll most likely attract their attention as well.

Broken up into chapters, this graphic novel shares Jo Jo's story of how she befriended a magic superhero pickle that lives under her bedroom. Sadly the Magic Pickle is a little behind on the times (what with sitting in a refrigerated pickle jar--ahem, I mean in a cryogenic slumber for 50 years). Despite being behind the times, Magic Pickle must prepare to face the Phantom Carrot, Chili Chili Bang Bang and other members of the evil brotherhood of vegetables that have gone bad (in the moral sense, not the moldy sense). Unwilling to be left behind, Jo Jo researches the Magic Pickle's origins and prepares to help him. But Magic Pickle is less than enthused by the thought of a sidekick. The hunt for the last rotten vegetable will lead Magic Pickle to school and Jo Jo's side. Will he be able to help her in the climactic final food fight?

With lots of pickle puns, vegetable jokes and literary and science-y names, this graphic novel has a lot of fun with language. As with many superhero narratives, there are some insults and punches thrown here or there, but as to whether or not the image of a wee orange carrot taking on a girl will rile up readers remains to be seen. More likely, it may rile up the occasional protective parent.

This book can be particularly meaningful for students who follow strict religious laws about food, since the Magic Pickle named for this series is "Weapon Kosher." I can just picture a certain Jewish man I know who grew up in the 1950s, thinking back and wishing he'd had an empowering Weapon Kosher in his youth.

And (of course) there's a whole series of Magic Pickle graphic novels to be entertained by now.

Overall a fun child-friendly twist of the superhero narrative.


Activities to Do with the Book:

This is a wonderful recommendation for students who loved Captain Underpants or graphic novels in general. As with most graphic novels, Magic Pickle requires both visual literacy as well as traditional text-based literacy. But it is longer than the Captain Underpants books, easing students into longer titles.

Since discussion of the Soviet Union is incorporated, a social teacher could take that on as a teaching moment and discuss the cold war (and maybe even bring back Dr. Seuss's The Butter Battle Book too!). Other possible teaching topics including pickling, illustrations based on the "How to Draw Produce" guide, jealousy, embarrassment, bullies, growing vegetables, etc.

If a teacher had students working in a community or school gardening (or just completed a unit on spring, nutrition or plant growth) presented children with the option of reading Magic Pickle individually or in a literature circle could be a fun closing on the unit.

An off the wall option, for high school teachers or college professors would be to bring in this graphic novel to encourage students to do a Freudian reading of it. A magical and powerful pickle (AKA a phallic symbol) seeks to defeat other phalluses , I mean...vegitables--while a young girl both wishes to help said phallic symbol and is angry that it violated the private space of her room. Hmmm....


Favorite Quotes:

"My name is Jo Jo Wigman. I go to school an' stuff. I got this secret. Nobody at school, in fact nobody in the whole world, even knows. It's a big secret. I'll tell you, but you probably won't buy it."

"There's a superpowered pickle that lives under my bedroom."

"In 1951, world-renowned scientist Dr. Jekyll Formaldehyde accidentally dropped the vegetable portion of his well-balanced lunch into the path of an experimental particle confabulator."

"Dill justice became his only desire."

"Your brains are well past their expiration dates."

"I'm wearing a star. Tasteful, yet mysteriously revealing."