Trouble in Pizza Paradise! (Dolphin Girl #1)

Captain Dugong and Dolphin Girl, Deerburbia’s dynamic human “father/daughter super hero/restaurateur combo,” protect the town and run Pizza Paradise! in their signature costumes. Still in training, Dolphin Girl works to hone her aquatic mammalian powers, among them echolocation. When they discover their archnemesis, Sea Cow, and the Bad Guys Club for Bad Guys planning a scheme, Dugong remains nonchalant, forcing Dolphin Girl to confront Sea Cow on her own with the newly enlisted Otter Boy. Though Dolphin Girl is delightfully earnest, debut creator Smith’s absurdist humor can fall flat, leaning into classic animation gags (stopping high-speed travel for an old woman crossing the street, for example) and in one case admonishing millennials via an animatronic cheese slice. Still, full-color art reminiscent of early Nickelodeon creates a fun, recognizable aesthetic as Dolphin Girl pursues her “porpoise” in this short volume. Ages 8–12. [em](Oct.) [/em]