When fast-food-frenzied monsters descend, only one hero can save the day.Bespectacled Carlton Crumple is relentlessly terrorized by his mulleted older brother, Milt, and grows up fearful of everything. Talking to his best friend, Lulu, Carlton has a sudden insight, deciding to stop being scared and to become a creature catcher. He lands a job at Chubbzy Cheeseburgers but is sternly reprimanded when he replaces the ketchup with his superspicy Awesome Chili Sauce. When a horde of fast-food–obsessed (but not-too-scary) monsters attack, Carlton Crumple, Creature Catcher, and his special sauce may be key to stopping them. This middle-grade graphic offering is the first in a proposed series (with a promised second volume entitled Tater Invaders). Writer and illustrator Fremont's animation background is highly visible here, with fast pacing, quirky characters, and ample silliness. Driven by its jet-fueled plotting, young readers careen from one side-splitting scene to the next as the simply wrought, full-color (courtesy of Matison) cartoons rocket sequences along. Those who enjoy complex characters may be at a loss, but those who want their humor to have a fast and furious velocity should be right at home here, making this perfect for fans of series like Chris Schweizer's The Creeps or Jarrett J. Krosoczka's Lunch Lady. Carlton appears to be white; secondary characters display various skin tones.Like fast food, this is quick and goes down easy. (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)

Gr 3-5 Devious Milt convinces his younger brother Carlton Crumple that the world is full of monsters. But Carlton resolves not to live his life in fear and instead becomes a Creature Catcher. Meanwhile, a group of monstrous "Munchies" awaken from hibernation at the bottom of a lake and, eager for sustenance, emerge and begin terrorizing fast food restaurants. They soon encounter Carlton Crumple, who pursues them across the United States. The illustrations are reminiscent of those in "Captain Underpants" and "Nate the Great," with exaggerated facial features and actions. The plot is silly and convoluted, with commercial breaks to keep things from getting "too exciting." On many pages there is a lack of cohesion between the text and illustrations. Some illustrations that require no explanation are accompanied by wordy text boxes, while on other pages, kids will need to read the text to understand the art. Text bubbles are occasionally placed on the page in a confusing order and require a high level of comics reading literacy to understand the timing and pacing of the conversation. The jokes feel out of touch; much of the story focuses on people mistaking the titular Munchies for "hairy hippies" as they race across the country in their "Groove Mobile," and Carlton shouts repeatedly that he has to "CATCH THE MUNCHIES!" VERDICT Lengthy text and dated humor undermine the book's potential. Not recommended. Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library