Royal Rodent Rescue

I often called 2009, 'The Year of Streaky', as the Super-cat turned up in comics, cartoons, and memorabilia.
 But really, Streaky has remained a small but visible presence throughout the outer rings of the DCU, mostly in Tiny Titans, but also in Supergirl merchandise. And then there is his starring in Royal Rodent Rescue by John Sazaklis and Art Baltazar.

I had heard about the DC Super-Pets children's chapter books that were being produced but last week I saw them in a local comic store and bought a couple for the supergirls at home. With art by Tiny Titans' co-creator Baltazar, the books have a very familiar feel. The books really look like they are written for the 5-8 crowd, making it just worthwhile for the youngest at home. But they are fun, a silly mix of super-heroics, sound effects, and animal antics.

As usual, reading this book with the supergirls helped remind me (yet again) that comics are supposed to be a fun part of my life. Here are a few of the highlights of the book.

I loved the opening stats page, a sort of quick 'who's who' of Streaky reviewing his powers and origins.

It was cool to see this version of Supergirl by Baltazar. It is like looking at what the Tiny Titans Supergirl will look like when she grows up. The 'usual suspects' lineup was cute. And we all liked learning that Streaky's favorite foods are milk and sushi.

Streaky really is a hero here. The opening chapter has him rescuing people from a building on fire and then extinguishing the blaze. Afterwards he heads to the Fortress of Solitude for some rest. But there, the computer alarm alerts him that Metallo is on a rampage in Metropolis. Streaky actually rouses to go fight Metallo. That alone is fantastic.

But then the super-cat hears that Supergirl has flown in and is battling Metallo. I was glad that Sazaklis had Supergirl be the unseen hero here rather than Superman. Nice touch. This is a Supergirl's pet book after all.

The remainder of the book has Streaky thwarting a plot by Catwoman's cat Rozz. Rozz is trying to kidnap a royal gerbil named Prince Zouli. What's more, the evil feline is armed with a Kryptonite necklace. In this universe, Kryptonite can hurt Streaky.

With a bit of teamwork with Zouli, Streaky is able to defeat Rozz and earns some royal-level pampering from the Kardamyla King and Queen.

As I said above, this was a fun book to read with the kids. There are a lot of sound effect words to say aloud which add to the reading experience. And any exposure to Streaky has to be considered good. I definitely recommend this to any young fans out there. This is one of a whole series of DC Super-Pet books, so if Krypto or Beppo or Topo or Jumpa are more to your taste, there are books highlighting their adventures.