THE ADVENTURES OF INVISIBLE BOY

When a strange foe comes to town, two youngsters put their newly discovered superpowers to the test.

Erstwhile rivals Stanley and Gene, having become friends in the first installment of this graphic novel series, have finally figured out how to control their powers of invisibility—sort of. And how better to use those skills than by fighting crime in their community? Unfortunately, even with Stanley’s robot scanning the streets for bad guys, there’s not much action brewing; accidentally purloined pens and fashion crimes are the best they can do. Suspiciously soon, a towering, shadowy nemesis appears, assisted by a goofy pair of carnival workers turned henchmen. Next, Stanley’s dad’s hardware store, the family’s livelihood, is ransacked. Stanley opens a pancake smoothie stand to raise funds for the shop; later, he and Gene engage in high-energy battles against the henchmen. The cartoon action is frenzied and fun, right till the last absurd, clever turn; the choice to set the fights at a minigolf venue is particularly inspired, with the combatants looking like giants towering over a trembling town. A clever video game–inspired sequence sees the boys going up against the henchmen in the abandoned carnival grounds. Stanley and Gene are light-skinned; there’s some diversity in their community.

Hilarious, hectic, and gleefully unpredictable.