The G-Man Super Journal: Awesome Origins

G-Man

by Chris Giarrusso

When Michael G (yes, "G" is his whole last name, and that's why everyone calls him G-Man) has to keep a journal in Mrs. Rosario's class at school, naturally he writes about his ambition to have superpowers and join the superheroes of his city (like Captain Thunderman) in the fight for justice. After all, his friend Billy Demon just got an awesome winged flying suit and superpowers of his own, and now he's the most popular kid in school! Mikey would just love to have superpowers too, but how will he get them? And if he does get them, what will he do with them?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Adventure, Comics, Childrens

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 17, 2015

Reviews

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The G-Man Super Journal: Awesome Origins' by Chris Giarrusso is part book, part graphic novel and all awesome. It's perfect for younger readers who like stories about superheroes.

When Michael G., or G-Man as his friends call him, is assigned the task of keeping a journal for school, he is initially reluctant. We learn about the origin of his last name, which is just G. We learn that he lives in a town of superheroes, chief among them is Captain Thunderman with hsi lightning bolt staff and horned helmet. Captain Thunderman's chief nemesis is Mister Mental. G-Man's chief nemesis is Mr. Leary who thinks that superheroes are stupid and that diplomas are more important. We also see some of G-Man's friends gaining superpowers, while G-Man is left without them. Will he be able to foil Mr. Leary? Will he be able to join the Suntrooper Space Force? Will he be able to prove to his parents that his brother Kevin is the one actually breaking the video game controllers?

Initially, I was a bit concerned because diplomas seemed to be getting the back seat, but when G-Man's friends prove they are smart and powerful, then the story becomes more about being the best at who you are. The art is great and there are full color pictures that look like magazine clippings thoughout the book. The text is broken up by black and white comic strips that continue the story (meaning you read the comics and text together). The humor is really great. It's a fun, fun book and I recommend it for younger readers.

I received a review copy of this ebook/graphic novel from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this fun ebook/graphic novel for younger readers.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the mold of the Wimpy Kid books but, in my adult opinion, way funnier with more sophisticated language and better values, (not to be too frumpy about that), although the illustrations aren't quite as goofy as Wimpy Kid. I really enjoyed all aspects of this book, (even the superhero parts..surprising myself!), and if the kids book group that meets here evolves into younger aged kids, (they are now in the 5th-6th grade levels), this will probably be a book selection.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caleb (age 5): "It's one of the best books ever."

[Ruthwik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is great because it has humor almost every page.

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dexter (9yo) read.

[Ayan]

It was a really funny and interesting book if you like humorous books like diary of a wimpy kid.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun tale which mixes a little superhero fantasy into the everyday life of a middleschool kid.

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael G and his classmates have each been given the task of keeping a journal and this book is, in effect, that journal. In it he records his experiences, both at home and at school. He seems to come from a very dysfunctional family with an older brother who will only let him use his video game when the controller is broken so that he can blame Michael for breaking it . . . a mother who seems to never believe anything Michael says . . . and a Dad who seems to only want to yell at him. He also has a Science teacher, Mr Leary, who hates Michael’s idolisation of superheroes, especially Captain Thunderman and keeps on picking on him because of this. Michael obviously has a lots of conflicts in his life and how he tries to resolve these is the key factor throughout the story. The only person who seems to support him and be on his side is Mrs Rosario, the teacher who got them to keep the journal!

There are great illustrations throughout the story, with comic style speech bubble conversations, as well as the notebook text. I could actually imagine a very articulate child trying to write something like this, complete with his sense of humour, and others enjoying reading it even more! It will certainly appeal to independent readers, it is humorous and deals with some issues that they may encounter - though perhaps not the superheroes! How he resolves these issues to his satisfaction is inventive and effective.

A story that will appeal to children and works well as a standalone story without having to have read any of the associated comic books.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first G-Man comic book collection, Learning to Fly, a couple of years ago and was very impressed. Then I forgot about it until seeing this come into the library as a new book (and realized I missed a couple of graphic novels in between). Instead of being another graphic novel, this "super journal" is a mix of text and illustrations in the popular format popularized by Diary of a Wimpy Kid--except these illustrations match the comic book style of the other G-Man books.

Not only is the format similar, so is the voice, style, setting, and plotting. Awesome Origins takes place chronologically prior to the graphic novels and tells the story of G-Man as a regular kid in school with all the other kids in school, dealing with social issues, teacher troubles, and the like. The very end retreads the story of Learning to Fly in a much compressed form, as most of this book is about G-Man's yearning for superpowers before he gets them and climaxes with his first adventure.

While I didn't like this quite as much as the graphic novel, it was fun and entertaining. The social dynamics are very good, there is still lots of fun with superhero conventions, and the sarcasm is excellent. It just felt a bit too formulaic and derivative in an attempt to fit the popular mold; I would rather see Giarrusso let G-Man be G-Man, because that's quite good.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it first came out "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" was a revolutionary concept for a book that brought a love of reading to many middle school students. The thrill of being able to quickly read a book and have that book actually be enjoyable was a huge advantage that book had over others. Now it seems like these books are a dime a dozen and quite frankly have become an overused ploy in the field of children's literature. "The G-Man (really that's the best name you could come up with) Super Journal" could easily have been called "Diary of a Wimpy Kid #10". I didn't find much about this book to be original, at times I was confused about the "world" that was created within the book (were superheroes real or was it just something that money could buy), and I felt some plot holes were glaring. All that said I did find the book to be appealing and the storyline wasn't horrible. I feel like I'll probably read every DWK that comes out and I wouldn't steer someone away from reading this series either (I'm assuming it's going to be one), but they shouldn't expect anything different than what you'd get from the rest of the "diary" novels in this genre.

[Heather Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The G-Man Super Journal is amazing! Middle grade kids are going to love reading about Michael G and his classmates as they attempt to gain superpowers. Michael is a funny and sarcastic kid that idolizes the local superhero Captain Thunderman, to the supreme annoyance of his science teacher, Mr Leary. Parents and teachers will love that kids are reading about conflict resolution, having patience and most importantly, about science!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

With uncredited superhero cameos inspired by Captain America and Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts, this world full of super heroes is bound to capture fans of all types. With its journal and doodle style presentation reluctant readers will rejoice as they jump into G-Man's world where anyone can become a superhero with the right tools and determination.

My only disappointment - I really wanted the evil teacher to also be the evil mastermind. Bummer.

[Julie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of G-Man before but apparently there are other volumes about him. This is a prequl that tells how he got his superheroes in the first place. Overall this wasn't exactly my cup of tea but kids will enjoy it. It fit the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, notebook style. Michael G is also pretty funny so kids will enjoy that. Superheroes are pretty popular right now as well. I would definatly consider getting this for my library.

[C. L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever concept; iffy execution. I felt like the story was advanced enough to deserve something more than a diary fiction approach (cartoons could still have been included), and, after a slow real-life build, the climax happened very fast and very randomly. Still, I didn't walk away feeling like I'd wasted my time, so... there's that. Idly recommended.

(Read ARC via netgalley.com)

[Bill Doughty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" take on the characters from Giarrusso's G-Man comics. Lots of good backstory that fleshes out their world... the conclusion happens really quickly, like there was like a sudden realization he was running out of space, but as it recounts the events of the first G-Man mini-series/graphic novel collection, it's mostly review anyway. Fun reading with the kiddo.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both my boys enjoyed the comics and were excited about a full length novel. After finishing it my youngest gave it 2 out of 5 stars and my oldest gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars. My youngest didn't like the slight deviations from the comics. I liked the idea of keeping a journal and the facts about Leonardo da Vinci. We look forward to the next installment in the series.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author has great comic timing. I was laughing out loud for much of this book.

Took me a little while to feel comfortable with the fact that the setting was a present day regular world but superheroes were real.

Plot was a little week but I will order for my library because I think the kids will love it.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fun read for any kid that likes superheroes. In a diary format with comic elements it's also a good read-a-like for the Wimpy Kid series.

I personally wasn't a fan of the characters being too similar to popular comic characters but kids would probably enjoy that.

[Gillian Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mikey lives in a world where superheros exist and he wants to be one. Unfortunately his efforts always end up in misunderstandings and detentions. First in a series.

[Neville Ridley-smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny in parts. Some new ideas for the genre (the genre being wimpy kid style half-text/half-comic journal thingies). Not sure I'd bother reading any more of these though.

[Arron]

i did not even read it

[Anthony H]

The book The G Man super journal by Chris G., is about a kid who wants to be a superhero and his friends also become heroes and in addition start to save the city with his heroic friend,i recommend this.