Review by Ian Keogh

In his relatively brief, but exceptionally funny superhero career as Cat Crusader, Max Meow has already faced Agent M and his eccentric robot, and his own evil doppelganger from an alternate world. In Donuts and Danger his friend Mindy Microbe finally managed to control her own super powers and now helps Max out as Science Kitty.

After explaining the past, John Gallagher wastes little time in getting into the action. In his podcasting persona Max is present at the unveiling of a statue of Felix Fluffybottom, founder of Kittyopolis when the spaceship carrying the Pugs from Planet X turns up and kidnaps the mayor. If Kittyopolis wants to see him again they’ll have to turn over the space meatball. As that’s the mysterious object that supplies Max with his powers, it’s a bit of a problem. And if that isn’t enough, all Max’s enemies are involved in a jailbreak.

The captain of the space ship might be a mean fighting machine, but he has something in common with Agent M, in that neither is the best at selecting competent help. Yes, if Agent X is back, so is Reggie the Robot, this time with a song and dance routine to go with his magician’s tricks. And as well as the Pugs, Gallagher supplies the readers with pastiches of several iconic films and some ingenious solutions to seemingly unsolvable puzzles.

Pugs From Planet X is another rip-roaring bundle of silly fun guaranteed to keep youngsters laughing all the way to bedtime, but if a break is needed, Gallagher sorts everything into bite sized chapters. Oh, and along the way you’ll learn the origin of the space meatball and what it accompanies.

Next up is Taco Time Machine.