Agent 9: Flood-a-geddon!: the hilarious and action-packed graphic novel

Agent 9: Flood-a-geddon! is a brilliantly funny, high-energy and action-packed graphic novel. Feline Super Spy Agent 9 can be a bit of a disaster when it comes to foiling super villains - there always seems to be a trail of destruction in their wake. On probation, Agent 9 is promised one last crime-busting chance by big boss O (a very literal BIG boss - O is a huge orangatan, to be exact).

Before a mission is found, however, Agent 9 finds themself and robotic fish eye sidekick FIN (the long-suffering voice of reason and probable real brains of the duo) remaining the only Agent that now stands between the super evil King Crab and his dastardly plan to flood the world to build a worldwide water park. That is, of course , as soon as his (polar icecap-melting) super-hot heat ray gun is delivered by a familiar-sounding online shopping giant website.

Visually, Agent 9 is packed with strong, bold and impressive drawings . Some pages consist of illustrations only to tell the story – true cartoon comic strip style – and the layout varies from page to page , keeping the reader engaged and active in 'watching' the story play out. I loved the classic superhero caper exclamations - there are plenty of 'BOOMS.. THUDS.. CLANGS..' along the way. The plot is fantastic fun and laugh-out-loud - the author clearly delights in using the narrative clichés of this genre with the bumbling secret agent and the super villain who can't resist blurting out his evil genius plan far too soon. King Crab is a hilariously endearing shopaholic (but not super-smart) villain and FIN, even with just with a one phrase vocab, "BEOOP", is obviously a key figure in the success of any mission Agent 9 undertakes.

A joyous and charming book - entertaining and witty, this will have so many fans in school and will get passed around class with great delight.

192 pages / Reviewed by Jennifer Caddick, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+

In Agent 9: Flood-a-geddon!, Agent 9, an impulsive feline agent, and her robot fish sidekick, FIN, must save the world from King Crab, the super villain, in this new high octane graphic novel. This tiger-striped tabby cat, Agent 9, is on probation with the Super Secret Spy Service after racking up millions of dollars in damage to property due to her act-now-think-later attitude. After successfully pleading her case to headquarters, she is granted one last chance to prove herself. Can she do it?

Only Agent 9 and Fin stand between King Crab and global chaos! King Crab wants to not only to infiltrate S4, but also to melt the ice caps, flood the entire globe - creating "Flood-a-Geddon", and build a worldwide water park. Agent 9 must stop him before it is too late.

The personification of the characters throughout this graphic novel is exemplary. James Burks has managed to capture the nature of those who are constantly on the go, making impulsive decisions and striving for the top spots. His use of colour, panel size and placement give power to parts of the story, amplifying the action which is carefully punctuated with words and leading to the fast-paced nature of this story.

With a blend of thrilling chase scenes and a generous helping of humour, this book will race off the shelves in any classroom book corner or library. This book is perfect for all of those children who love the fast-paced, action-packed nature of cartoons and super heroes. For all those reluctant readers, this will be a breath of fresh air as it looks like the best chunky novels and will help build their desire to read.

To fully enjoy this book you will need a copy in front of you. As with any good graphic novel, this is not a bedtime story or a whole class read but has a very important part in the classroom none the less.

192 pages / Reviewed by Amanda Shipton, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+

Agent 9: Flood-a-geddon is the start of a new graphic novel series about Agent 9, a cat-like character who has incredible super-spy skills but who dives into missions without thinking things through, resulting in hilarious mishaps and inevitable 'I-told-you-so's' from Agent 9's sidekick, FIN, a mechanical flying fish.

At the start of Flood-a-geddon, Agent 9's very role as a super spy is under threat due to all the previous mission mishaps. Then, however, Agent 9 has the chance complete the most important mission of all; stopping King Crab from flooding the world. King Crab has kidnapped all the other super spies, so if Agent 9 fails, disaster beckons!

The humour and mad-cap adventure and characters in this graphic novel had me giggling from the start; it is very much in the vein of The Minions or The Incredibles, so it came as no surprise to hear that author and illustrator James Burks is an animator by trade (check out the fabulous Agent 9 book trailer!) He really gets the kind of humour that children will love (a King Crab? a mechanical flying fish?!) and the humorous dialogue between Agent 9 and FIN will keep them hooked. It's interesting that Agent 9 isn't assigned a gender, so keeping the appeal open to boys and girls.

I'm looking forward to seeing further Agent 9 adventures; at a time when interest in graphic novels is rising, this series should find lots of new fans. Fast-paced, fun and with bags of appeal through Agent 9's determination to win through against the odds, the story will keep readers gripped. I've given the age range of 7+, but it has plenty of appeal to much older children, too. A great addition to the graphic novel bookshelf!

192 pages / Reviewed by Elen Green

Suggested Reading Age 7+