Sparks! by Ian Boothby & Nina Matsumoto, 189 pp, RL 4
SPARKS! by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto, with color by David Dedrick, has to be one of the funniest kid's graphic novels I've read in a while. This makes sense, since Boothby has been writing comedy for TV and radio since he was a teenager and has also written comic books for The Simpsons and Futurama, to name a few. And these two know cats and how intelligently hilarious they can be. At one point, one cat says to another, "I'm going outside to eat and throw up some grass." If you have cats, obviously you'll get this. To begin with, a robotic litter box tells the story of August, Charlie and Sparks, the hero-dog-robot-suit they use to rescue those in need. In a flashback, readers learn that August and Charlie first met in a laboratory where they were being experimented on. In one of the best lines ever, the friendly robotic litter box would roll into the lab holding a tray of canned cat food and saying, "Feeding time. Also, is anyone needs to poop, let …
