- Comedy
- Sidekicks collection
- Ages 8–12
Sidekicks
Part of the collectionSidekicks→Superhero action meets big-hearted comedy as a hero's superpowered pets save the day and figure out what family really means.
- Books2 / 4
- Arcs1
- Span2024–2026
- StatusOngoing
The series
At a glance.
Dan Santat's superhero graphic-novel series stars the pets of Captain Amazing, hero of Metro City, who barely notices his animals are developing powers of their own. In the opener, Roscoe, Fluffy, Shifty and long-lost cat Manny audition to be the Captain's sidekick just as his oldest enemy, Dr. Havoc, launches a new scheme, and it falls to the overlooked pets to save the day. The follow-up sends them chasing a smooth-talking stranger who claims to be Shifty's long-lost brother, mixing superhero action with real mystery. Fast, funny and full of heart, the series pairs proper cape-and-cowl adventure with tender stories about loyalty, trust and what it means to be family.
Superhero action meets big-hearted comedy as a hero's superpowered pets save the day and figure out what family really means.
Read in publication order — book two follows directly on from the first, with the same cast and continuing threads.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- INarrative arcBooks 1–2 · 2024–2026Low sensitivity
Captain Amazing's pets
Captain Amazing's superpowered pets go from rivals to a team.
The series arc follows Captain Amazing's pets from squabbling rivals to a genuine team. In the first book they compete to be his sidekick, then band together to save him when Dr. Havoc strikes and long-lost cat Manny resurfaces. The second sends them after a stranger who claims to be Shifty's brother, testing the trust they have built while a data breach puts the whole hero community at risk. Each book delivers self-contained superhero action, but Manny's story and the pets' growing bond carry across, so publication order matters. Warm, funny and surprisingly tender, it is a superhero saga really about loyalty and belonging.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 7–10
- Independent · 8–12
Reluctant-reader friendliness
Very high
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Not especially
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
About the author