MAGIC PICKLE AND THE PLANET OF THE GRAPES

When the whole planet’s in a dilly of a dilemma, who ya gonna call? Magic Pickle, of course—that buff, green and all-kosher adversary of the scheming Brotherhood of Evil Produce. Dwelling in Capital Dill, a secret lab right beneath the bedroom of intrepid young sidekick JoJo Wigman, Pickle barrels out in this series opener to face the shriveled but powerful Razin’, whose plan for world conquest has kicked off with a barrage of well-aimed sour grapes that have turned everyone in JoJo’s school into round purple zombies. Morse illustrates this vegetarian adventure with plenty of splotchy, energetic line drawings that switch, for combat scenes, to sequential panels of sound-effects-heavy action. In the end, thanks to JoJo’s quick thinking and a brisk shower of strawberry juice, what passes for normality is restored and, as Pickle puts it, “we can raze The Razin’ from the roster of rogues.” Readers will be smirkin’ at the exploits of this gherkin. (Fantasy. 9-11)