Power Lunch, Vol. 1: First Course – reviewed by Stephen Theaker

Joey, the new weird kid at school, gets powers when he eats particular foods; which power he gets depends on which food he eats: trail mix gives him super-speed, white food leaves him unaffected. Jerome, the previous weird kid, needs help with Bug, a bully who spends his quiet time burning ants with a magnifying glass. Jerome encourages his friend to try out for the soccer team, but that means he must walk home alone.

Power Lunch is a good little book, as long as it lasts, with bold, colourful illustrations, and like Sketch Monsters should do well in schools and libraries, but there’s not much here for adults. Older kids may find the lack of substance underwhelming; younger children might be upset by the bullying scenes. To get a kid’s-eye view, I asked my daughters to take a look, but it failed their first test: “Is there a girl in it?”

Power Lunch, Vol. 1: First Course, by J. Torres and Dean Trippe (Oni Press, hb, 44pp).