Books

The Clerk, the Construction Worker, the Mom, and the Goldfish

The unlikely superheroes of the charming all-ages comic Power Up.

June cartoonist Matt Cummings.

Boom! Studios

“A star shall die as another is born, and so shall they be chosen. Three warriors to lead us into a new age.” Far out in space, three brave warriors wait for the centuries-old prophecy to come true and transform them into heroes for the ages. And wait. And wait. Why isn’t anything happening? Why are all the bad guys leaving? Meanwhile, on Earth, a scatterbrained pet-shop clerk, a construction worker, and a soccer mom are struck by bolts of energy from the sky. Suddenly they’re costume-clad superheroes—and aliens are attacking. Also, something weird is going on with Amie’s goldfish.

The ordinary-folks-turn-super storyline of Kate Leth and Matt Cummings’ Power Up is a familiar one, but it takes twists and turns that tween readers won’t expect. And the book’s final surprise is a great reminder that, in fiction as in life, superteams work better when they work together. And the real power behind Power Up is Cummings’ candy-colored, high-energy cartooning. Part manga, part Saturday morning cartoon, the artwork in Power Up is packed with gags, action, and adventure—its confused everyday heroes enjoy the fruits of interstellar energy with all the enthusiasm you and I might have if, one day, we suddenly could fly. And what is up with that goldfish?

Power Up, collected this month in a trade paperback edition, is a funny, energetic all-ages adventure. We’re delighted to have Matt Cummings illustrating the June issue of the Slate Book Review.

Power Up by Kate Leth and Matt Cummings. Boom! Studios.

See all the pieces in the Slate Book Review.