Billy Wrecks

Cute kids-level Super Friends story my 3 year old really enjoys.

Makes me wonder how confusing it'll be when he gets to read my old Silver Age and modern age comics to sort out which Bizarro, Luthor, etc. he remembers/understands.

The art in this beginning reader story is super cute. The three heroes and their nemesis, Catwoman, are chibi-sized and colorful. The style is cartoon like, and clearly aimed for the book's young audience. Sadly, when my praise for the book is reserved for illustrations, the story clearly leaves much to be desired. The book is labeled as an early comic reader, so the pages resemble simplified comic book pages. The plot involves Catwoman stealing powerful objects from three superheroes: show more Batman's utility belt, Hawkman's mace, and Green Lantern's ring. As a comic fan, the fact that Catwoman can so easily best these three is laughable, but younger kids won't notice that. She uses their gadgets to steal a rare blue tiger from the Cat Show, but is foiled when the Green Lantern's ring won't work for her. Since this is an early comic, the story is told through pictures, dialogue bubbles, and a few small narrative boxes. The text is minimal, but the story is easy to understand. It's just a little boring. I love these characters; they deserve a more gripping story. To be fair, most superhero beginning readers struggle with this issue. It must be difficult for authors and editors to keep the subject matter suitable to young children while writing about heroes, villains, and fighting. My girls enjoy the book for the characters alone, but their parents can't help rolling their eyes while reading it. show less

Another Super Friends beginning reader book, with the same quality as the previous two reviewed. A mediocre story that focuses more on the limited vocabulary pertaining to its reading level than on interesting language, and relies on the beloved Justice League characters to float the book. A working strategy, by the way; we bought three of these books without consideration of their narrative quality, simply because my girls adore these superheroes. As for the story, this book is about show more Bizarro, a strange anti-Superman who is usually a bad guy in the comic versions. Here, he wants to be a superhero, but he does everything wrong. The Super Friends teach him how to use his powers for good, and he even saves Superman at the end. Again, buy these books if your kids need some reading material featuring their favorites caped crusaders, but don't expect much from the story. show less

The superheroes from the Justice League are back, and this time they have sea creatures to handle. Black Mantis wants to steal the huge pearl from a new exhibit, so he brings an octopus, shark, and electric eels to attack the super friends. Unfortunately, he forgot that Aquaman can communicate with ocean animals. In no time, Aquaman has the octopus turned against the villain, and Superman and Batman help him finish the job.

My review for this book is a close mirror to the other beginning show more reader Super Friends book. The author is too concerned with using the right vocabulary words to write with a natural sounding syntax. The plot has a lot of action, but no tension. Unfortunately, this book relies on the popularity of its characters to compensate for the mediocre writing. The trick does work; my girls love the Justice League, and they like these books. It doesn't matter how dull the story, they just want to see their heroes in action. For this interest factor, and the fact that it is a simple read for easy readers, I give these books a just below average rating. show less