School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Wax, a budding deejay in 1980s Brooklyn, has a crush on his neighbor, Pirate Polly. He makes mixes with his friend Cooky P and works at his uncle Rashaad's ice-cream truck with Cooky and his sister D. One day Wax's beats accidentally get him, his crew, and his entire apartment building, including Polly and her pet cat, picked up by an alien ship and transported to the planet Discopia. Of course, the falling building kills the robot ruler King Chug Chug and rouses the anger of his son, Choo Choo, who vows revenge. All hopes of returning to Earth seem lost. With the help of Kabuki Snowman, who teaches Wax the art of Sci-Fu (or manipulating sound waves-the perfect talent for the aspiring deejay), our hero must create mixes that stop Choo Choo and his motley crew, the Five Deadly Dangers, in their tracks. Wax must learn Sci-Fu and remember what keeps him human before it's too late. This gem of a graphic novel is nostalgic but not overly retro. The art is exemplary, with a rich palette and eye-catching aliens, and the text is easy to read. Wax's raps are entertaining, and action words are interspersed liberally throughout. Thankfully, this fast-paced, lighthearted, fun title leaves room for a sequel. VERDICT For any middle grade reader looking for an engaging, out-of-this-world graphic novel.--Morgan Brickey, Arlington Public Library, TX © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In 1980s Brooklyn, eighth-grader Wax may be respected for his DJ skills (and, with his flattop and track suit, he looks the part), but his raps leave something to be desired. After Wax's spinning attracts extraterrestrial attention, he's transported to the futuristic city of Discopia along with his friend Cooky, his crush Polly, and his family. Wax quickly learns the art of Sci-Fu, a mixture of music and martial arts, from Kabuki Snowman, just one of many odd creatures they encounter. In a series of musical confrontations reminiscent of the Scott Pilgrim stories, Wax must fight the Five Deadly Dangers before taking on giant robot Choo Choo. Mercado has created a visually delicious adventure that does its best to imbue a visual medium with the power of sound. Mercado uses onomatopoeia and visualized sound waves to emphasize that this is an aural adventure; color-coded speech balloons help readers keep track of who is spitting rhymes. His caricatured figures and dynamic layouts, coupled with a neon palette and graffiti flourishes, make for an entertaining story with a little something for everyone: hip-hop, tech-driven action, and romance. Ages 9-12. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Graphic novelist Mercado celebrates the joy of hip-hop. This fun, candy-colored Afrofuturist saga set in 1980s Brooklyn introduces 13-year-old budding DJ Wax; his ice cream truck-vendor uncle Rashaad (he swears in ice cream flavors); his pizza-deliverer-turned-best-friend, Cooky P; and his brainy, truth-telling little sister The D, the tale's real hero. The story opens as Wax produces a colossal sonic disaster (according to his family) for his crush, Pirate Polly. The lovingly honest criticism spurs Wax to try againand, in the process, he transports them all to a Blade Runner-inspired world called Discopia, accidentally kills King Chug Chug, its ruler, and calls forth a mentor, Kabuki Snowman, who teaches the teenager Sci-Fu, described as "a mix between a martial art and a musical instrumentto manipulate and modulate the sound waves around you" in order to defeat the king's son Choo Choo and his mixed-gender crew, the Five Deadly Dangers. This trippy, psychedelic adventure, with chapters labeled like album tracks, is as much a call and response to Vijay Prashad's Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting (2002) and a riff on astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson's comment that all of the universe is literally made of stardust as it is a not-so-subtle visual reference to Samurai Jack's villain Aku and a nod to Get Out's lifesaving-friendship trope.A lighthearted tale with black and brown characters, matter-of-fact Brooklyn bilingualism, and a solid message of creating through failure and love. (Graphic science fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When Wax, a young DJ from 1980s Brooklyn, accidentally kills a robot overlord with his funky fresh beats, his friends have to help him quickly train in the deadly art of sci-fu in order to defeat the remaining robot warriors and save Earth from destruction. As crazy as the concept sounds, overall it's a pretty classic samurai story our hero must defeat several bad guys to get to the boss, but only by believing in himself can he defeat the evil overlord and get the girl. But it's Mercado's artwork that truly puts a fresh spin on this tale; his heavy outlining and bright colorization make his cartoon characters jump off the page, which makes the many action sequences all that more impressive. Those sequences make up the majority of the piece. Meanwhile, the keen mixture of epic fighting scenes and hilarious rap battles (My beats make me strong like a pot of hot black tea / And I'm radioactive / like Madame Curie) will definitely play well with readers looking for something fast and breezy.--Blenski, Peter Copyright 2018 Booklist
