It’s the 10th anniversary of DC Super Hero Girls: Finals Crisis, and modern-day, grown-up Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley, Ivy, and Beast Boy have received invitations to the most exclusive party in town—their high school reunion. Distracted by all their grown-up responsibilities, the group hasn’t been able to get together for a while, and they are more excited than ever to see their friends again!
But this “reunion” isn’t what it seems. No one else is present when they arrive for the party! Who could have summoned everyone to Super Hero High? What is really going on? To find the answers to their questions and the way out of this trap, the heroes will have to take a walk down memory lane. But will this deep dive into their past bring the heroes back to their B.F.F. ways or reopen old wounds?
DC Super Hero Girls: High School Reunion, written by Shea Fontana and illustrated by Yancey Labat, will be published June 2, 2026. DC Comics provided an early galley for review.
I enjoyed watching the DC Super Hero Girls cartoons which is why I wanted to check this one out. I am well outside the target demographic.
Per the indicia, this juvenile graphic novel is targeted for 8 to 12 year olds. And that might be where a slight problem creeps in. This is an audience who hasn't yet gotten through junior high, so the high school experience is still unknown. Even more, adding on a ten-year reunion puts the characters in their late twenties. For kids, that's ancient. I remember being a ten-year-old and thinking people close to thirty were super-old.
The story incorporates flashbacks to high school as Harley tries to figure out who is behind the plot and how to stop them. I would have liked to see some more variation in character behavior between the pre-grad and post-grad, to show how they have aged and changed in a decade. They all pretty much felt the same past and present. The target audience, however, likely won't notice or care.
The overall themes and message are positive ones, great lessons for young readers to learn. For long-time comic fans, there are also some nice Easter eggs in the art and dialogue. Still not sure why Beast Boy falls into the "girls" cast other than for comic relief.
No comments:
Post a Comment