Attack of the Mutant (Goosebumps #25)

## He's no superhero. He's a supervillain!

Attack of the Mutant, the 25th entry in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series, was an absolute favorite as a kid. While it's more an adventure than a horror story, that doesn't hurt its quality any. It's also the funniest in the series yet, and continues Phantom of the Auditorium's strong attention to character: Skipper and his friends and family all feel like real people. Clueless, awkward adults and stubborn kids with stubborn interests.

[N.B. This review includes images, and was formatted for my site, dendrobibliography -- located here.]

## "I can't see a thing!" Dad exclaimed. "Get that away from me. Can't you see what this onion is doing to my eyes?"
## "There's a trick to chopping onions," Mom said, show more bent over the stove. "But I don't know what it is."

Attack of the Mutant is about Skipper's collective obsession with comics. He's into the usual superhero stuff of the '90s, including not just nods to Marvel, but Todd McFarlane's Spawn series that basically defined (and, unfortunately, led to gross stagnation and sexism) the 1990s comics industry. His favorite series, though, is the fictional Masked Mutant series, about a supervillain able to take any shape. After reading the latest issue, in which the villain's lair is shown for the first time, he steps off the bus only to see...that very lair standing tall in front of him, a great, pink fire hydrant (as it's described) towering over the surrounding neighborhoods.

From there, the comics start bleeding further into reality, to the point he even starts appearing in his own favorite series. Again, it's not necessarily scary as it is adventurous and silly and just plain awesome. Moments of suspense abound, but it's mostly about sneaking into a lair of villainy, out-witting over-the-top villains, and saving the day.

Highlights along the way include Skipper's unhealthy relationship with his friend Wilson, who's always trying to push his ~fascinating~ collection of stamps on Skipper. Skipper is absolutely cruel to the poor, boring guy, but their relationship works in a fun way. One of the 'heroes' from the Masked Mutant also makes an appearance, and his role is almost creepy: It's up to Skipper to save him, and once he does, the Galloping Gazelle isn't much of a hero, and even uses Skipper as a distraction so he can run away. What a hero.

## He rested a gloved hand heavily on my shoulder. His gray eyes peered at me solemnly through the slits in his mask. "Do you have wall-climbing abilities?" he demanded.
## I shook my head. "No. Sorry."
## "Okay. We'll take the stairs," he said.

I was a weekly comic fan when I was Skipper's age. Not superheroes like Skipper loves, but Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog series between issues 30 to 70 (still ongoing, with over 280 issues as of this review!). Many fans, including myself, even held the same feelings of rivalry Skipper had with Archie Comics' Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica stories. I connected a lot with Skipper when I first read this in the '90s, so if you or your kid are completely separated from the comics industry, this may not hold your attention the same way. Reading as an adult, though, was a complete blast from the past, as I vividly recalled lots of the same images and thoughts I had reading this as a kid. Skipper would go to my local All About Books and Comics shop in Phoenix; and I'd dream time and time again what I'd do alongside the freedom fighters of Mobius when Mecha Sonic shows up. Attack of the Mutant is awesome.

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps (1992–1997):
#24 Phantom of the Auditorium | #26 My Hairiest Adventure show less

Thrills and chills....

This is actually one of the Goosebump books I enjoyed more than I thought I would, and definitely one arguably more applicable now than it was when it first came out. While, yes, comic books saw a sharp rise in popularity in the 90s I'd argue they're even more popular now (or at least more prevalent) due to the MCU and DCU, cartoons, figurines, and simple omnipresence through current culture. And what's this book? Well, a fun little romp through the WHAT IF A COMIC WAS REAL scenario that is just a bit overdone in any comic book reader's imagination.

Half the fun of this book was the sheer silliness of the heroes. The Molecular Mutant. The Galloping Gazelle. The sheer overpowered nature of the villain and the absurd show more scenarios in the books. I'm not gonna lie, I loved it, it captured the campiness perfectly note for note. Very fun book, if not truly a creepy one. show less

Rated for children, not enjoyment for adults.

This is a cute Goosebumps book - the main character is sarcastic, of course dislikes his sister (a theme), does terribly in school, thinks funny thoughts about others, and doesn't listen. He's actually likeable and realistic for one this age. His obsession with comics is fun and his best friend trying to show him his rubber stamp collection kept cracking me up. It became silly a little but that's part of the fun. The ending was another open-ended one.

Wasn't sure if this would be too much for my five year old, but overall he wasn't scared at all. There was one point when the suspense really builds that he felt a little scared, but he wanted to continue. Nothing too gory, frightening, just overall creepy when you think of wooden dummies coming to life. A fun tale perfect for those just getting into something scary without scaring them off right away.

Attack of the Masked Mutant is a great R.L Stine chapter book for kids. This book is grade appropriate for children in second to fifth grade. The book revolves around a young kid named Skipper Matthews who journeys into a super villians evil lair. Skipper Is a chubby child who has an enormous love for comics books. One day after missing his bus stop he finds what appears to be the building depicted his favorite comic “The Masked Mutant”. Skipper is startled at his discovery and tells his friends who convince him that it’s likely the author saw the building and modeled the one in the comic after it. Skipper returns a couple days later to find that the building has vanished. Later this day Skipper receives the newest issue of the show more masked mutant and finds a depiction of himself finding the lair, he also learns that the masked mutant hides the building using an invisibility cloak. Eventually Skipper returns to the building again with a new found friend named libby. Although he sees nothing he approaches the area where he had first seen the lair, at which point the building becomes visible after he passes through the cloak. Skipper alongside his friend libby decide to enter. From here Skipper meets the protagonist in his comic who is attempting to defeat the masked mutant. Upon entering the building the Gazelle tells Skipper that he has been hit by a beam that actually turned him into a comic, this isn't really taken into account until later in the story.The main protagonist, the “Galloping Gazelle” is eventually defeated and decides to flee leaving Skipper alone with the masked mutant. It should be known that the main power of the Masked Mutant is the ability to shapeshift into absolutely anything.Through wits skipper convinces the masked mutant to morph into sulphuric acid, knowing that when he morphs into a liquid he can no longer return to human form. Having done this Skipper defeats the super villain and returns home. Once home Skipper is overjoyed at his triumph and decides to cut a piece of cake, when he cuts the cake he accidentally slices open his finger. Instead of blood ink dye is released from his skin at which point the book cuts out. The ending of the book leads you to believe that although he has defeated the Masked Mutant, he is now forever a comic book character. As for a central message or theme, I really don't think there was much of one. The book seems to be a fictitious series of events with no real lesson to be learned. I would rate this book 3 and ½ stars out of five. I really enjoyed reading this GooseBumps book, and definitely enjoyed it more than “Deep Trouble”, but the lack of a central message and very open ended story were two lacking points. Nonetheless I would definitely recommend this book for grade school children. show less

This is a great story for kids that are into comic books. Unfortunately if, like me, you aren't a big comic book fan, this won't be as enjoyable. Attack of the Mutant was OK but I wouldn't read it again

#25 "He's no superhero. He's a supervillain!"
Skipper is a huge comic book nerd. His most favorite comic to read is one called The Masked Mutant which is about a supervillain out to gain control the universe. But one day when Skipper gets lost and finds a strange building that looks a lot like the one in his comics suddenly the books seem to jump right off the page... literally!