Pizzasaurus Rex

by Justin Wagner, Warren Wucinich (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Jeremy Duderman, the most extremely awesome scientific mind of his generation. Too bad everyone’s too busy bullying him or just generally disliking him to realize it. But that all ends today. Jeremy has invented the Reality Alternative Dimensionator (R.A.D. for short), a device that allows Rex Raditude, the Pizzasaurus, to enter our dimension. He’s a guitar-shredding, pizza-loving party animal with only one thing on his mind: BEING TOTALLY RAD, DUDE. But is that enough to stop Emperor Buzzkill and his horde of hapless minions who are bent on ending pizza parties, skateboarding, and all things rad? And can poor, pitiful Jeremy Duderman, quite possibly the dorkiest dude in the universe, help Rex in defeating them?

"Fun and funny, this will be a hit among graphic novel fans and parents of a certain generation." –– School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620105078
Publisher:	Oni Press
Publication date:	07/26/2018
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	1,099,795
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Justin Wagner is an Atlanta based cartoonist working in comics an animation. Along with storyboarding for F/X, Justin has published comics with Oni Press. His most recent work is Rascal Raccoon's Raging Revenge, which he co-created with Brendan Hay.

Warren Wucinich is an illustrator, colorist, and part-time carny currently living in Dallas, TX. When not making comics he can usually be found watching old Twilight Zone episodes and eating large amounts of pie.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2018
Gr 4–7—After years of being made fun of, Jeremy Duderman finally has an invention that will show everyone he is one of the greatest scientific minds. His Reality Alternative Dimensionator (R.A.D.) brings Rex Raditude, a guitar-playing, skateboarding dinosaur, to our world. But a dangerous enemy who emerges from the portal that R.A.D. opens up is bent on destroying Rex and all things cool, unless Rex and Jeremy can stop him. Wagner has created a love letter to late 1980s and 1990s cartoons. Cleanly illustrated and brightly colored, this is an entertaining, light story. Each chapter feels like an episode of a TV show; readers can drop in at any moment and understand what's going on, but there's still a larger narrative arc (and big finale). A rapid succession of jokes and setups keep the punchlines coming, either hitting hard or missing the target entirely, with subtle references that adults will pick up on. Wagner relies on stock characters (the bullied nerd, the bumbling henchmen), and some, such as the damsel in distress, feel clichéd at times, but they have their own time to shine during dramatic encounters. VERDICT Fun and funny, this will be a hit among graphic novel fans and parents of a certain generation.—Thomas Jonte, Pensacola State College, FL

School Library Journal

2018-03-27
Can a pizza-obsessed dino from another dimension help a hapless scientist?Jeremy Duderman, a bespectacled scientist, may have a brilliant mind, but he is socially clueless: He is slow to recognize when he is bullied, he has difficulty recalling his female assistant's name (Lexi), and he's oblivious to her affection for him. When one of his experiments proves successful—an interdimensional portal called the Reality Alternative Dimensionator—it accidentally unleashes pizzasaurus Rex Raditude, a skateboarding reptile from another dimension, and the lame goons chasing him. With Emperor Buzzkill, a disembodied brain determined to make every dimension uncool, hot on their tails, will Rex, Jeremy, and Lexi be able to stop them? Told with lots of busy, action-driven panels and bathed in 1980s skater-dude lingo, the tale owes much to such retro cartoons as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, and Jem for inspiration. However, this nostalgia takes an unfortunate turn; lab assistant Lexi only becomes "radical" when she is given a sexy makeover and a shortened hemline. Similarly, Jeremy's transformation happens only when he loses his glasses and grows a set of bulging muscles, perpetuating hackneyed clichés; that Jeremy and Lexi are both white only reinforces the retrograde approach. While the concept is certainly lively, it's not enough to lift the book above its flaws.Pass. (Graphic science fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews

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