KEEP ON TRUCKIN'

Escaping a planet-sized strip mall was a snap compared to surviving a planet full of computer-controlled vehicles running amok.

Guardians of the Galaxy Rocket Raccoon and Groot and their sidekick, superintelligent tape dispenser Veronica, are out of fuel and forced to land on planet Happyhappyfunfun—but cars and trucks of all kinds attack them every time they set down. Planetary president Dina the Wonder Lizard explains (from the cave where she’s hiding) that Big Mama, the safety computer that controls all the self-driving cars, is seriously buggy: its download of an update was crossed with every bad race car–driving action movie ever made. Dina enlists the help of Rocket and Groot to stop Big Mama, but the computer intends to see the streets run red with blood (and Groot’s sap). Can our intrepid heroes survive—and refuel? Following series opener Stranded on Planet Stripmall! (2016), Angleberger returns with another gonzo adventure full of mayhem and impossibly action-errific narrow escapes. The story is written in the form of Rocket’s captain’s log, with plenty of “I am Groot” interjections and snarky comments from Veronica (and a few denizens of the planet too), with each character’s voice presented in a different typeface and often color, and is liberally decorated with Angleberger’s scribbly cartoons. Readers too young for the PG-13 movies or the adult-oriented comics will enjoy this age-appropriate and entirely silly adventure.

Beware giant raccoon-eating sharks and enormous beavers! (Science fiction. 7-11)