A kids' comic about how Fede became a circus performer through a series of mishaps. There are quite a few logic errors which as an adult I can look past but as a kid would have driven me nuts.

'The Adventures of Fede and Tomato Vol. 1 - Tomato Must Be Saved!' by Luciano Saracino with art by Gerardo Baro is a graphic novel about a boy, a cat, and a travelling circus.

The circus comes to Fede's town and he wants to get a job. First, he must avoid Florencia (she is the love of Fede's life, but she doesn't know it yet). At the circus, Fede runs into the lion and the owner of the circus. He gets a job with the help of his cat Tomato, but now Tomato Must Be Saved!

This was a fun and funny story. I liked Fede and his willingness to do crazy things. The art was also a lot of fun and I liked the colors used.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

The Adventures of Fede and Tomato #1: Tomato Must Be Saved! is a children's graphic novel written by Luciano Saracino, with art by Gerardo Baró. One morning, the circus arrives in Fede’s town. What a thrill! Now he has a chance to be a circus star! And there he goes, with his cat Tomato, avoiding any streets where he might run into Florencia (because Florencia is his girlfriend, but she doesn’t know it yet). Of course, things get complicated when the lion looks at Tomato with hungry eyes!

Tomato Must Be Saved! is a fun and cute comic that focuses on one adventurous boy and his view of the world. He sneaks into a circus before opening and is caught taking pictures of the lion without permission. The ringmasters attempts to disuad Fede go a bit awry and misunderstandings lead to jining in the circus act, dodging the girl he likes, and trying to save his cat Tomato from becoming the lion's lunch. I liked the artwork- the colors really worked and there was a good amount of detail on each page. I think I might have left a couple clues about the misunderstandings on the page, but I understand why they might not have in such a short work. I enjoyed the read and think many young readers will as well.

Tomato Must Be Saved! is a short, cute graphic novel. I liked the art and the story and think others will enjoy the quick read as well.

Unique artwork and attractive storytelling— this is a book I would gladly add to my classroom/young reader’s library. I enjoyed this book as an older reader too.

This was so fun!
I loved how they kept hints of the Argentinian culture in the translated version.
Like using "Circo" as the name for the circus (this literally means circus in Spanish) and using "proximamente cine" (soon cinema) to advertise for the new cinema.
The illustrations were vibrant and exuded excitement on every page.
I hope the next book Las Aventuras de Fede y Tomate #2: ¡Hay que salvar a Florencia! gets translated as well!!!
Thank you NetGalley & Europe Comics for my DRC.

A book of complete tosh and claptrap, but with just enough life, character and vigour to make it worthwhile. I think there are three books in this junior Spanish series of lively yarns, even if only one has been translated so far. A boy (Fede) is exuberant when a circus comes to town, but doesn't reckon on what happens when he enters its compound before the ticket office is open. Tomato, by the way, is his cat. The story is cartoonish piffle, but cartoonish piffle the young could well enjoy, so by all means let them read it, then turn to something more edifying. As disposable pap it's fine, mind.

I'm really not impressed with this one. Aside from the passable illustrations, it's an unrealistic story that manages to be scientifically inaccurate and kind of insulting to women.

This English adaptation needs some work. There are parts of the text that don't render properly (at least in the EPUB format), leading to words that are only half there. There are instances of some other language, which might be because those words are part of the illustrations... but there's one pretty glaring example where the ringmaster welcomes the audience to the "circo". English-speaking kids aren't necessarily going to know what that is. There are also some issues with the illustrations, such as when Fede goes flying into an empty seat next to Florencia... when just pages earlier, there was someone sitting next to her. (In fact, Fede comments on how there are so many empty seats, but that's apparently only when it's convenient to the plot.)

The whole bit with the lion is just ridiculous. First, the ringmaster threatens Fede with it. Then he steals Fede's cat, Tomato. Fede assumes (logically enough) that the cat's going to be fed to the lion. But that's not what happens. The ringmaster actually stole the cat to be the lion's butler because--wait for it--the lion is a vegetarian.

Give me a break.

Let's ignore for a moment that the ringmaster shouldn't be stealing pets, period. But that's the least of this story's ridiculousness. Fede "joins" the circus after dressing up as an acrobat. Nobody in the close-knit circus community seems to notice or care, which leads Fede into a wild trapeze act and getting shot out of a cannon. Then he runs backstage and encounters the lion (which is apparently allowed to run around unrestrained with no handler). It just isn't believable.

Neither is the turn of events toward the end, with Fede joining the circus for the summer. Florencia joins, too, because she apparently has no agency and only exists to be Fede's future girlfriend (only, as the synopsis states, "she doesn't know it yet"). At the end of the summer, the circus moves on... but Fede gets excited because a cinema opens up in town. He informs us that he's going to tell us the story of how he became a movie star (as if going to the movies at the local theatre is somehow the way actors get their big break).

As I said before, the illustrations are decent. Still, there are too many problems with the plot and too many issues with the formatting. I really can't recommend this one.