STRANDED ON PLANET STRIPMALL!

Origami Yoda’s creator kicks off a trilogy for young readers starring two-fifths of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

At book’s opening, Rocket Raccoon and Groot have barely escaped a swarm of giant space piranhas, crash landing on a small, uncharted planet. With the ship destroyed, Rocket has no way to keep a captain’s log, except the recording abilities of Veronica, a hyperintelligent if slightly too literal tape dispenser. (She’s also handy, as far as Rocket is concerned, for bashing bad guys on the head.) The planet is not only uncharted, it’s also one big strip mall. Personnel at every store they enter, from Granny Nano’s Country Fresh ’n’ Clean Nano-Cleaners to H.F. (for High Fructose) Happy Tooth’s Candy Shop, seem to want the trio to use the bathroom rather than to buy anything…and the toilets are hungry. Will Rocket and Groot (and Veronica) be literally consumed by consumerism? Or can they save the galaxy from the planet’s perilous plumbing? Angleberger cleans up Rocket’s potty mouth and slapsticks up the violence to gift those too young for the movie and comics with a goofball adventure that’s sure to please the Captain Underpants set. As in film and comics, Groot still only says “I am Groot,” but Rocket often translates. Dotted with Angleberger’s (as Rocket) purple-and-white scribbly illustrations and cartoons, the book will include Groot’s polished art at the close (provided by John Rocco). Final art not seen.

Good fun for Marvel fans.