Batpig: When Pigs Fly

by Rob Harrell, Rob Harrell (Illustrator)

Overview

Introducing a supremely hilarious graphic novel featuring an unstoppable, super-swine hero who boldly fights for justice . . . in between taking mud baths and eating tasty sandwiches.

Gary Yorkshire was your perfectly average, fuzzy pink pig who loved tasty sandwiches, video games, mud baths, and hanging out with his friends Carl the fish and Brooklyn the bat. Until one day . . . a radioactive bat bite gives him powers he never would have dreamed of! Inspired by his old Crimson Swine comics, Gary decides that he'll use his powers for good and becomes (drumroll) Batpig! Now he just needs a good zinger of a Batpig slogan, a spandex costume that flatters his rear end . . . and maybe a little advice about how in the world to defeat supervillains?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593354155
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Series:	A Batpig Book , #1
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	195,578
Product dimensions:	5.81(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.84(d)
Lexile:	GN270L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Rob Harrell is the author/illustrator of Wink and the Batpig series, created the Life of Zarf series, the graphic novel Monster on the Hill, and also writes and draws the long-running daily comic strip Adam@Home, which appears in more than 140 papers worldwide. He created and drew the internationally syndicated comic strip Big Top until 2007. He lives with his pup in Indiana.

Editorial Reviews

10/11/2021

Batpig—Big City, U.S.A.’s newest superhero—stars in two stories and an intermission collected in Harrell’s (Wink) comical graphic novel. Via an extended flashback that leaves present-day Batpig strapped to a rocket, “Space Farce” explores the hero’s origin story, following sixth grader Gary Yorkshire, a lighthearted pink pig with a fondness for tasty sandwiches, Crimson Swine comics, and mud baths. After being accidentally bitten by friend Brooklyn, a radioactive brown bat, Gary develops super hunger, sight, and strength, plus the ability to float. But keeping his new powers and identity from gloomy friend Carl, a green fish with a propensity for spilling secrets, results in the creation of—and a face-off with—supervillain Repto-Man. In “Meat the Enemy,” Batpig faces a cued-white human butcher–themed villain and a new weakness (the smell of cooking bacon drains his powers) to save his kidnapped friends. Irreverent, animal-based humor drives the segments as art emphasizes close-ups and comic asides to accentuate comedic payoffs. With strong linework and anthropomorphic animal designs reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons, Harrell’s story will delight fans of Dog Man and InvestiGators. Ages 7–up. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Best Book of 2021
An ALA 2022 Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List Selection

“Action-packed, clever, and uproariously funny!” —Lincoln Peirce, New York Times bestselling author of the Big Nate series

★ "Harrell’s full-color graphic-novel charmer is over-the-top fun, filled with fast pacing, abundant silliness (pig puns abound!), and a well-developed plot and characters, that nevertheless does not rely on humor as its sole support . . . The social tribulations of being part of a trio of friends will resonate with middle-grade audiences. This is an absolute must-read for fans of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series. Readers will go hog wild for this lovable hero." —Kirkus, starred review

"Irreverent, animal-based humor drives the segments as art emphasizes close-ups and comic asides to accentuate comedic payoffs. With strong linework and anthropomorphic animal designs reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons, Harrell’s story will delight fans of Dog Man and InvestiGators." —Publishers Weekly

"The book’s punny humor, dad jokes, and pure absurdity may win the day here, especially for fans of Captain Underpants or Moyer’s Ham Helsing: Vampire Hunter." —BCCB

From the Publisher

★ 2021-09-01
A pig becomes a superhero.

Porcine Gary has a great life reading comics about the Crimson Swine, playing video games, and hanging with his friends, Brooklyn, a bat, and Carl, a fish. When a prank goes awry and he receives a radioactive bite from Brooklyn, Gary discovers he now has superhero powers and develops his new alter ego, Batpig. He tells Brooklyn about this development but not Carl, who can be indiscreet—and immediately picks up that his friends are hiding something from him. Carl’s hurt feelings understandably morph into anger; Gary’s decision to exclude his friend accidentally ends up creating a supervillain who may be Batpig’s undoing unless the trio can work together. A second episode sees the friends face off against a nefarious human foe, the Butcher, a White woman who wants to use the power of the world’s meat and has a robot that makes pigs in blankets. The first in a series, Harrell’s full-color graphic-novel charmer is over-the-top fun, filled with fast pacing, abundant silliness (pig puns abound!), and a well-developed plot and characters, that nevertheless does not rely on humor as its sole support. Gary and his friends are both relatable and accessible: The social tribulations of being part of a trio of friends will resonate with middle-grade audiences. This is an absolute must-read for fans of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series.

Readers will go hog wild for this lovable hero. (Graphic fiction. 7-12)

Kirkus Reviews