Cosmoe’s Wiener Getaway

Readers who enjoyed Brallier and Maguire’s Galactic Hot Dogs webcomic (or played around in the recently launched Poptropica.com island set in the same universe) can follow the travails of Cosmoe the Earth-Boy, alien cohort Big Humphree, and maybe-evil Princess Dagger in this print adaptation. Covering the same territory as the 26 chapters of Cosmoe’s story available at Funbrain.com, this hybrid novel/comic follows Cosmoe’s attempts to gather the pieces of the Map-O-Sphere, which purportedly leads the way to the Ultimate Evil. Brallier’s story races ahead at what in the film Space Balls would be called “ludicrous speed.” Maguire does a heroic job of keeping up with twists and turns that include run-ins with Zombie Space Pirates and the villainous General Krax von Grumble, as well as intergalactic wrestling and video-game tournaments; even so, the action isn’t easy to track. Planet-shaking sound effects (“SHHH-BLAM!!!”) and lowbrow humor proliferate (“There are 19,476 doom-suns in the known galaxy and they’re all hot as butts”), adding up to a whirlwind SF adventure that doesn’t take itself a bit seriously. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (May) [/em]