Zicky: Wrath of the Rat King by Darin S. Cape , illustrations by Zeno Decrux and Hiorsh Gabotto

Zicky:  Wrath of the Rat King by Darin S. Cape, illustrations by Zeno Decrux and Hiorsh Gabotto
Publisher:  SHP comics
Format Read:  Paperback ARC
Number of pages:  160 pages
Publishing:  March 10th, 2026
Source: Books Forward

Opening Lines: "Zicky approaches the lair of the rat king, sneaking stealthy...keeping downwind..."

At night, Zachary dreams of daring adventures where he sneaks into the Rat King's lair.  In this dream world, he even becomes a stealthy ninja, slipping through shadows and battling an oncoming rat invasion.  At home, however, his family treats his adventurous stories as nothing more than a child's imagination.  But when Zicky's dream world begins to spill over into his reality and threatens his family, he must gather all his courage to save the day.  

Zicky: Wrath of the Rat King is an adorable story about a young boy who dreams of being a hero.  The illustrations are vibrant and packed with action.  Some scenes, such as Zicky chopping off the head of a snake or attacking one of the rats, may feel a bit intense for younger readers, but overall, the story remains light heartened and fun.    I really enjoyed Zeno Decrux's manga art and Hiorsh Gabotto's real-world imagery.  With my favorite illustration being the one where Zicky is falling back into his bed after one of his nightly adventures.  You can see a few samples here at the publisher's website and a Teaser video here  

I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog  HERE