Superfail

Having superpowers isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Just ask 12-year-old Marshall Preston, whose crossed eyes shoot laser beams in different directions and pukes on passersby while flying due to motion sickness. He’s a Defective like his telepathic friend Lewis, who can only communicate by vocalizing others’ unspoken thoughts. But when the city is threatened by someone known as the Man with No Name, it’s up to Marshall, Lewis, and other Defectives to save their home. Brunner and Mackay’s underdog tale is part novel, part comic, with the story unfolding through text passages and panel sequences. Marshall’s self-deprecating narration gives the story a sardonic tone reminiscent of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. “I mean, I wanted to look like a superhero but I ended up looking like the Hamburgler,” says Marshall of his mask-and-cape ensemble. Brunner’s caricatures are accented with dull reds, yellows, and blues that feel just right for the idea of second-rate heroics, but the longer narrative sections leave the story feeling unbalanced, hovering uneasily between comic and illustrated novel. Ages 8–12. Agent: Clelia Gore, Martin Literary Management. (Nov.)