Hollywood vs. the Galaxy

September 1, 2021
Buddy Burger carries on in this sequel to Lights, Camera, Danger! (2020). Now that Citizen Cruel has been dealt with, alien superstar Buddy has nowhere to go but up: His TV show, Oddball Academy, is being given a sweet hourlong special, and if the suits think it's strong enough, the silver screen will be next. But unbeknownst to Buddy, the Supreme Leader has decided to take matters into his own alien hands and head to Earth in an effort to capture Buddy once and for all. Will he finally be taken prisoner by the Supreme Leader? Will Oddball Academy become the next teen sensation? Will the weird romantic chemistry between Buddy and his human gal pal, Cassidy Cambridge, be resolved? This third series entry gets things back on track after a weak second outing. Buddy and Cassidy remain the most nuanced characters, but at this point readers have spent enough time in Buddy's Hollywood that the tertiary one-dimensional gag machines come off as a feature rather than a bug. The authors are able to inject some real menace in the narrative with the Supreme Leader's finally getting his hands dirty, spinning an engaging yarn that'll have readers turning pages as quickly as possible. The narrative clicks into place, moving effectively while still boasting plenty of humor. Spot art--and the occasional full-page illustration--amplifies the hijinks and cues Cassidy as Black; Buddy presents as White when in human form. A rousing adventure. (Science fiction. 9-12)

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