Marvel Super Hero Squad: Coloring & Activity Pad

Background

Bendon Publishing International, Inc. are probably the most prolific of the current crop of Marvel "Coloring & Activity Book" license holders. They've been feeding out a few books a year, and they're currently making the most of the "Marvel Super Hero Squad" material.

Story Details

This review is for a "Coloring & Activity Pad". Actually, it's three pads, which as far as I can tell are only available as a set. All three share the same ISBN code, though the cover and content in each is different but similar.

The pads are 5.25" x 7.75". They are top stapled, with a thin card cover. Each pad is 32 pages of cheap newsprint paper, with a serrated tear-off at the top.

Most of the "Super Hero Squad" get to appear in puzzles, coloring pages, spot-the-difference pages, word scrambles and other similar fun stuff. Given the size of the Squad, and the fact that some of the villains make a guest appearance, Spidey himself only manages a brief cameo in each!

The content isn't identical across the three books, but the same set of clip art is heavily recycled. There's only a couple of poses for most characters, which get re-used in different forms. E.g. you'll get to color-in an "Invisible Girl" pose in one book. Then in the other book, the same artwork is used for a "spot-the-difference" puzzle.

General Comments

Bendon is interested in quality, as evinced by the surprising fact that these books are "Made in the U.S.A." The production overall is good, despite the aforementioned "recycling" of the artwork.

With three pads selling typically for $6, these are cheap fun for a car trip or a rainy afternoon.

Overall Rating

Another solid offering from Bendon Publishing. I'm no fan of the Super Hero Squad series, but I can't deny that this is competent, professional stuff.

Three webs.