The Glorkian Warrior Delivers a Pizza

Johnny Boo creator Kochalka introduces a three-eyed, three-toothed, pink alien who sets a new intergalactic bar for nincompoopery. In the course of 20 brief chapters, the Glorkian Warrior attempts to deliver a pizza—never mind that the phone call ordering it was a wrong number (luckily, he has a leftover peanut butter and clam pizza in the fridge). The plot is driven forward by the Glorkian Warrior’s banter with his yellow Super Backpack—“Well, here we go, I guess,” says the unenthusiastic backpack as they set out. “Our stupid destiny awaits!”—and their encounters with potential foes, who often aren’t what they seem. Kochalka sets the action against swirling purple skies and a rocky multicolor landscape, and his clean, emphatic cartooning gives every pratfall, explosion, and head-butt maximum impact. Eventually, the story meanders back to where it started, leading Super Backpack to wonder, “Does that mean this whole adventure was for nothing?” From a plot perspective, yes, but fans of Kochalka’s brand of absurdity (or who want to watch the Glorkian Warrior punch himself in the face a lot) will still have reason to tune in. Ages 5–9. (Mar.)■