Posted by Tamaki, Mariko & Jones, Joelle. Supergirl: Being Super. DC Comics, 2018. 208p. ISBN: 978140126894. $16.99 *** AT
Danvers is a Supergirl who will need to battle against the nefarious LUXCORP and save her friend. If you can get past the questionable similarities between the origin stories of Clark Kent, aka Superman, and Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl, (they are pretty much the exact same story) you will find this graphic novel to be an enjoyable foray into the life of a teenage girl with superpowers. Indeed, the most interesting part of the story is Kara’s interactions with her two best friends. Dolly is a “badass dyke” and a person of color and Jen is a white all-American jock. Both Jen and Dolly portray a strong sense of self while Kara is trying to figure out who she is and where she came from. The trio is pretty tight but neither friend knows Kara’s secret. Tamaki’s writing is quality and Jones’ illustrations are spectacular. But in the end this distills down to be a standard superhero story. Safe for middle school shelves.
Carla Avitabile, San Mateo Public Library
Bay Area Young Adult Librarians 