The Pancake Trap SC Review
Writer: Stephanie Young
Artist: Allyson Lassiter
Color Flatter: Simon Sheckells
Letterer: Allyson Lassiter
Editors: Grace Scheipeter & Azat Sayadi
Designers: Carey Soucy & Winston Gambro
Publisher: Oni Press
Price: $14.99
Release Date: June 10, 2026
As a truck festooned with helium balloons pulls past Dot's Diner, a statue of the founder holding a plate of pancakes rises above the two-story building. Yet as a fire truck and other vehicles pull floats along, drones fly past an immense statue, holding a sign. Why do the drones spell doom for the historic diner? And can the current owners save their beloved business? Let’s leap into The Pancake Trap SC and see!
Story
Things get hectic in the kitchen as crowds fill Dot’s Diner. Maple Sanford wants everything to go smoothly on the restaurant’s final day. Then her sister Margaret spills in, distracting Rox at the griddle, and demanding Maple’s attention. Margaret wants her day as the queen of the Hayworth Day Parade to go smoothly. She waits impatiently for the Mythsonian Musuem guards to return with her photographers.
As the girls' mother wishes the kitchen would run more smoothly, Maple’s best friend Ozeldi Izaak arrives. She also wonders why the Mythsonian guards have left their posts. They are supposed to be guarding Margaret's crown. Then, Oz upsets Maple by damaging Dot's Recipe Journal.
In The Pancake Trap SC, Maple bonded with her grandmother over their mutual love of pancakes. Maple wants to save the diner because it represents their heritage. Yet Margaret wants her mother to sell the diner because she needs money to pay for college. Margaret regards Maple as crying over spilled pancake batter. The diner isn't bringing in sufficient income. Besides, everyone else in town is selling their business to Mark Shields.
Stephanie Young’s story follows Maple and Margaret as Oz discovers a mystery surrounding their grandmother's past. As the sisters follow clues and encounter dangers, they take a closer look at their relationship. Along the way, a flying drone also helps them find clues and assists when they encounter danger. Yet the drone is an uncomfortable reminder that the clock is ticking in The Pancake Trap SC. When the day ends, Maple and Margaret's mother will hand Dot's Diner over to the man who created the drone.
Art
Signs like "Farewell," "Closed," "Huge Blowout Sale," and "All Sales Final" adorn shops facing the crowds as the parade rolls past. Yellow propellers keep the gray hexagonal drones aloft while also catching people's eyes. The drones hold signs and grab items with gray hooks on their floppy green Creeper Cy-Squid limbs.
Photos, newspaper reports, and a ribbon convey the history of Dot's Diner and Maple's relationship with her grandmother. Maple's poofy brown hair evokes Dot in her prime, while Margaret's straight brown hair links her with her mother. Maple dresses in a T-shirt and shorts, while Margaret sparkles in a green dress, white sash, and gold crown. Then their mother bursts into the kitchen, grimacing as she carries platters and plastic bins of dirty dishes.
As Allyson Lassiter’s characters depart the busy diner on an unanticipated adventure, Ozeldi Izaak's zest for life inspires them. The red and blue lenses of her 3D glasses link her blue jacket and blue overalls with her red shoes. Yet the gold stars supporting a white banner above her braided hair clash with Margaret's hopes for the day.
As Simon Sheckells and Allyson Lassiter fill The Pancake Trap SC with colorful art, black uppercase letters fill white dialogue balloons. White letters in brown boxes ground the reader in the characters and their history. Long brown arrows point out important facts, such as Ozeldi's unlaced shoes, their sometimes-annoying dog, Rox's feelings about Margaret, and the snacks stuffed into their harried mother's apron. For the culinary inclined, each chapter ends with a recipe from Dot’s Recipe Journal. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
When Maple thinks of her grandmother, her first thoughts concern the pancakes that made her famous. Yet a notorious gangster lies in Dot's past. While his time with Dot was brief, he had a profound impact on her life. Maple may never have known him. Yet she discovers that Crispy Crueller Nelson could ensure that her grandmother's legacy continues in The Pancake Trap SC.
Rating 9.8/10
For more info, see my spotlight on The Pancake Trap SC.
