The Terrible Trio: the (not so) Superheroes  
Swapna Haddow  Minky Stapleton       

The Terrible Trio: the (not so) Superheroes  

Swapna Haddow, ill. Minky Stapleton    
Scholastic (2025)
Graphic novel, paperback, 192 pages
ISBN 978 1 77543 897 7

 

Swapna Haddow, creator of Dave Pigeon and Bad Panda, has created three very ordinary heroes for her new series, The Terrible Trio: the (not so) Superheroes (2025). Barry is a ring-tailed lemur. Zeb is a zebra. And then there’s the penguin.

‘I’m Margarine.’

‘Margarine? Don’t you mean Marjorie?’

‘Nope. Margarine. … I was named after my mum. Her name was Marjorie On Toast.’

Young readers will enjoy feeling smarter than Barry, Zeb and Marge (as her friends call her).

These three meet up in a long, long queue of animals, waiting in line to be given their superpowers. (Yes, all animals have superpowers.) Unfortunately, the allocation has been delegated to a squirrel who has run out of ideas and wants to get home to catch his favourite TV series, Watching Paint Dry.

As a result, the trio are given a mix of very odd (and very funny) superpowers. No spoilers, but they end up working at a café. Barry and Marge are delighted to be using their special powers in creative (and amusing) ways. Zeb, however, is reduced to being the ‘guy who folds the napkins.’ He feels inadequate, under-appreciated and desperately in need of a way of using his talent.

Then (avoiding spoilers again) an emergency arrives where Zeb’s special talent saves lives and makes him a hero. It also makes young readers laugh, which is the whole point of the series.

Because so much of the story is carried by the discussions between the characters, it is important to note how witty Swapna Hadlow’s dialogue is.

Zeb: ‘Oi! I don’t want to disturb this riveting chat about paint drying, but what do you mean you’re all out of powers?’

Squirrel: ‘He’s a little rude, isn’t he?’

Marge: ‘You get used to it. He just really wants a superpower.’

 The visual appeal of The Terrible Trio is provided by Minky Stapleton’s funny black-and-white illustrations. With the dual role of illustrator and designer, she has created a fast-flowing visual treat. The stylised creatures in her illustrations are simply hilarious. When the characters shout (and there’s a lot of shouting with super-powerful animals around), their words leap out of the pictures.  This makes The Terrible Trio a great book to read aloud.

 Trevor Agnew
19 Sep 2025 [Review 3794]   

 

 

 

The Terrible Trio: The Day the Mac ‘n’ Cheese Ran Out   
Swapna Haddow  Minky Stapleton

 

              

The Terrible Trio:
The Day the Mac 
‘n’ Cheese Ran Out   

Swapna Haddow
Ill. Minky Stapleton
Scholastic (2025)
Graphic novel
Paperback,192 pages
ISBN 978 1 77543 900 4 

 

‘What is the use of a book without pictures or conversations?’ thought Alice.

Alice would have loved The Terrible Trio series and not just because it has more talking animals than Wonderland. It also has hilarious conversations and equally hilarious pictures.

Swapna Haddow was the creator of this pixilated world where all the animals have been given superpowers. Of course, the three friends of the title were at the back of the queue when the superpowers were handed out. [See Vol 1, The (not so) Superheroes] This meant the trio received some very odd talents indeed.

Zeb the excitable zebra can blend into striped surfaces. Barry the cool lemur has nice handwriting and a special way to clean blackboards. Margarine (‘Marge’) the gloomy penguin has the power to create macaroni-and=cheese with the flick of a flipper.

Zeb’s most terrible day ever begins when his superpower prank with a zebra crossing enrages a lion. As an alternative to being eaten, Zeb promises to cater a mac ‘n’ cheese party for the lion’s whole pride.

Unfortunately for Zeb, Marge has just discovered that her secret power is not working. So, the restaurant has had to close and Zeb is about to become lion fodder. The conversation which follows typifies the incisive debating style of the three animals:

‘Why did you promise him mac ‘n’ cheese?’

‘Because he was HUNGRY.’

‘Couldn’t you have offered him your bike?’

‘I don’t think he would have wanted to eat a BIKE.’

‘BESIDES, I DON’T HAVE A BIKE!’

‘You LOOK like you own a bike.’

With thinking processes like that, the three take a long time (and some strange sidetracks) before they can work out how to save Zeb. The journey is both witty and enjoyable. 

 Minky Stapleton is the illustrator as well as the designer of this series. The visual impact of her work is stunning.  Every animal is carefully realised, with a wide range of expressions and an ability to strike dramatic poses. When they cry, waterfalls pour from their eyes. Each page is full of vitality. The ill-assorted trio make no effort to fit into the standard comic strip panels.  Zeb’s long ears and Barry’s curvaceous tail often pop through the borders. When Marge engages in a lively mac-mixing fandango she dispenses with borders completely.

The lettering also deserves mention. The text is in lower case which helps young readers, while the shouty bits are in block capitals, which helps those doing some reading aloud.

It’s worth noting that rights for The Terrible Trio have been sold (in alphabetical order) to Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Israel, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

 Trevor Agnew 
2 Jan 2026 [Review 3821

 

Swapna Haddow is a talented writer.  Here are a few of her titles.