Laser Moose (so named because he can shoot laser beams from his eyes) and his pal, Rabbit Boy, patrol their forest against whatever dangers might come, and they are plenty busy. First, they deal with a flying saucer and the weird aliens in it. Then, a bear that just caught a fish steps into a toxic waste leak, becomes Aquabear, and starts attacking other animals in the forest. After trying to lure it away with honey from a beehive, Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy accidentally lead Aquabear with the hive and the bees into the toxic waste leak, and now the creature is Aqua-Bee-Bear! Lastly, Laser Moose's evil nemesis, Cyborgupine, creates Mechasquirrel to wreak havoc and attempt to destroy our heroes. Savage combines his colorful, cartoony art and his unlikely heroes and strong vocabulary words, such as fraught, suspicious, nemesis, counteract, and more. Middle-grade readers who like their sci-fi and superhero stories zany, crazy, and with lots of ironic humor will enjoy these adventures of the hyper-vigilant Laser Moose and happy-go-lucky, ever-optimistic Rabbit Boy.

Savage, creator of the Savage Chickens webcomic, builds out the story of his Laser Moose character over three comics that see the laser-eyebeam-equipped mammal keeping vigilant watch over the forest. Laser Moose-s zap-first-and-ask-questions-later attitude is balanced by that of his sidekick, Rabbit Boy, who cheerfully rushes into potential danger, such as introducing himself to the sharp-toothed aliens that land in the first story. Laser Moose never lets his guard down (-Beautiful days are the worst,- he tells Rabbit Boy. -You have to be extra-focused on looking for evil when it-s a beautiful day-), but his zealousness often gets the best of him, as when he mistakes a deer eating berries in a shrub for a serious threat. -Well, you should eat berries in a less suspicious manner,- he tells the now-three-legged deer. In the second and third stories, Laser Moose faces off against a bear mutated by runoff from the local toxic waste factory and a mechanical squirrel created by his nemesis, Cyborgupine. It-s goofy, off-kilter fun, ideal for fans of shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe. Ages 7-12. (Sept.)