by Tom Eaton
2018 / 108 pages

Bug Zapper is a superhero that fights a bevy of bug-themed villains like Mean Mosquito, Butterfly Bob, and the Black Ant. His powers are the ability to jump really far – I think he’s jumping and not flying – and, like his namesake, a nasty jolt of electricity that stops bug villains in their tracks.

This is more of a gentle spoof of the superhero genre than a genuine batman or spiderman-type comic. Yes, villains do get zapped, but no one gets really hurt. Artist and author Tom Eaton makes good use of bright colors and simple lines – the drawings strike me as a little Peanut-esque – to create a comic book that’ll draw kids in. It’s hard to walk by this without picking it up for a peek.

There are two books so far – Bug Zapper and Bug Zapper: The Ant Arrives! – and both my Grade Three daughter and I thought the second was the better of the two with just a bit more action and humor.

But the first has the Bug Zapper’s origin story, which every Bug Zapper fan will want to know.

And the first also has an interesting plotline about bias in reporting. Robert, an elementary student who would love to be the Bug Zapper’s sidekick, also writes about him for the school newspaper. Amber, the daughter of one of Bug Zapper’s archnemeses, also goes to the school and accuses Robert of being biased for writing such a nice piece about a hero while saying nothing nice about villains. Then the teacher gives Robert an assignment to write his next article about a supervillain! But does being unbiased means saying nice things about both sides? That’s what Amber thinks. But Robert knows that good journalism is more about being fair, trying to share the truth as accurately as he can. That’s some pretty weighty material for a comic that’s otherwise just lighthearted fun! And Tom Eaton pulls it off well.

I would think this best for Grades One to Three, but the video version will let you gauge how it matches up with your children. You can find another video and color sheets at bugzappercomics.com.