Kaijumax Season Two

BOOKLIST (STARRED) -- Ever watch a monster movie and wonder, "Huh I wonder how Godzilla is feeling as its smashing all those buildings?" Cannon certainly has, and this second installment in the Kaijumax series demonstrates the profound results. His world of giant robots vs. giant monsters seems standard enough, but when the heroic robots stoop to profiling and brutality tactics, while the monsters fall victim to an unfair society and their own self-destructive culture, the audience can't help but feel compassion and contempt for these characters living in a black-and-white world. His critique, clearly a parallel between today's problems with law enforcement and culture, is as sharp as it is accurate. Cannon's world building is equally impressive; from the imaginative swear words to the literal nuclear grade opiates that plague the streets-nearly every aspect and small detail of Cannon's is all-too familiar. Though his artwork might seem unrefined, the richly colored panels and blocky figures exude a classic comics vibe that perfectly matches the story and its characters. This is poignant, modern critique of culture in an easily accessible and satirical package-fans of brainy, incisive comics should look no further than this series.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Devoted single father Electrogor gets himself in a bind when he is accidentally shipped off to Kaijumax, a maximum security prison in the South Pacific for giant monsters. A relatively sweet monster, Electrogor thinks about nothing but escaping back to his children. Standing in his way is Gutpa, a corrupt security guard selling uranium on the side (which many of the monsters are addicted to) to pay his gambling debts. The second volume follows Electrogor and the Humongo who helped him escape as they go on the run and face not only hiding from the police but also other desperate thieves and people just trying to survive. Will Electrogor's children remember him and forgive him for disappearing? Cannon's world of Kaijumax is an intriguing one that combines elements of hit TV shows such as Orange Is the New Black, Prison Break, and The Sopranos. While the bright, psychedelic cutesy cartoon art might make these seem like an innocent tales, they subtly touch on a variety of tough topics, such as the horror of prison life, death, violence, greed, and corruption. Teens will be attracted by the idea of a jail for giant monsters and find themselves falling in love with, caring about, crying for, and wanting to kill some of the characters-both monster and human.