Book Review: DC Super Hero Girls vol #1 Finals Crisis

Book: DC Super Hero Girls volume #1: Finals Crisis by Shea Fontana with illustrations by Yancey Labat, color by Monica Kubina and letters by Janice Chiang

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Class is in session! Welcome to DC Super Hero High!

It was the night before finals and the student body is hard at work... and nothing is going right! Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Harley Quinn, Batgirl and their friends are learning to become heroes, but no one knew the trials that awaited them. In the first original graphic novel from the DC Super Hero Girls line, meet the students of Superhero High School as they find out that fun, friendship and hard work are all parts of growing up!

The DC Super Hero Girls is an exciting new universe of Super Heroic storytelling that helps build character and confidence, and empowers girls to discover their true potential. Developed for girls aged 6-12, DC Super Hero Girls features DC Comics' most powerful and diverse line-up of female characters as relatable teens, playing out across multiple entertainment content platforms and product categories to create an immersive world. Icons including Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Bumble Bee, Poison Ivy, Katana and many more make their unprecedented teenaged introduction, as each character has her own storyline that explores what teen life is like as a Super Hero.



Rating: 2 stars
 
Review:

Prior to reading this, I was very excited to hear DC Comics had created a comic book and toy line aimed at girls. I was very supportive of this, so much so that I even bought one of the dolls.

I wish I could say I really loved reading this but I can't. I found it to be okay. It wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't good. I know this is supposed to be geared towards younger readers but it's disappointing how overly simplistic this was and dare I say superficial at times. Reading this felt like the equivalent of eating cotton candy. It's cute and sweet but lacked any real substance.

In DC Super Hero Girls: Finals Crisis, as the students at the school are preparing for their finals, someone is targeting Supergirl, Bumblebee, Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Katana. When the six girls end up been abducted it's up to Harley Quinn to find her friends but it's going to take all seven of the heroes to stop who is responsible for everything.

The writing for this is basic and predictable with a plot that's very thin. It's so uninspiring and unchallenging that it feels insulting to the intelligence of the target audience. Just because it's for younger readers doesn't mean it has to be dumbed down. These characters are very one-dimensional, there's not much depth or character development shown.

I don't like to make comparisons but a book I think was handled much better is Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade by Landry Walker with illustrations by Eric Jones.

This book which is aimed at younger readers is well written and action packed as it follows Supergirl after she crashed to Earth. Unable to get back home, Supergirl transitions to living on Earth. Plus, she's enrolled into a boarding school (thanks to her cousin, Superman) to help her learn more about her newly adopted home planet and figure out her growing powers. What I love about this book is it's not only fun to read but you get a story that's interesting with a few twists along the way. And you also get a Supergirl who is intelligent, funny and very competent. As the story moves along you get to learn so much about her.

However, in DC Super Hero Girls, the main six characters over look clues and are easily taken down by the mysterious person stalking them. What's so annoying is that you can see how skilled and intelligent they are in school as well as see some of the characters take down villains. Case in point, Bumblebee had no problem stopping Killer Croc as well as Wonder Woman working with Hawkgirl and Lady Shiva easily took down Giganta. However, all six characters were at a loss for what to do when they each found themselves at separate occasions cornered by the stalker. It's as if they only work best as a team.

I'm happy that DC Comics has recognized that girls like superheroes but that doesn't make up for how bland and boring this was. Something I did enjoy was seeing Jonathan and Martha Kent, Lois Lane, Steve Trevor, Amanda Waller (she's the Principal), Beast Boy, Starfire, Flash, Commissioner Gordon and a large number of diverse characters shown throughout. I also thought the artwork was bright and colorful (see below), but those are probably the only things I would give this high marks for.

I don't like writing bad reviews, but sometimes a book is deserving of those 1 and 2 stars. I really wish DC Super Hero Girls: Finals Crisis had been a good read. I'm still interested in reading the second volume, I'm hoping the writing and the story improves.