Thank you to NetGalley and DC Comics for providing me an advanced reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a heavy story, but an important one. I love that Superman has been utilized in both the past and present-day as a champion for justice against evil individuals and organizations that threaten innocent people in real life. While this story is intense and often upsetting, I do think it is appropriate for children to read and learn from. 

I hope the story will empower immigrant children and children of color as they watch one of the world's most iconic heroes fight for and stand alongside them. Although this is a Superman story, the Lee children can be labeled heroes in their own right. They are not written as helpless victims, but as capable and intelligent individuals who need support from a more powerful entity to do what they already know is right. I also appreciated that the narrative did not shy away from labeling the racist Klan members as evil, even though the nephew of one of the leaders struggles to accept that originally. White children should never be encouraged to view racist ideologies and behaviors as anything but evil, even when they're expressed by people they trusted. 

The Gurihiru team did an excellent job of creating colorful and expressive art that charged the story with emotion and developed an appealing atmosphere at the same time. The advanced reader copy I was provided with only included the penciled art from the third portion of the book, but it was done skillfully enough that I had no trouble becoming lost in the story again. I'm sure the finished pages are even better. 

The book ends with several pages detailing the history and context around this story, in addition to Yang's own experiences of racism he dealt with as a child. Yang's retelling of Klan history and why the Adventures of Superman radio program originally created this story is straightforward enough for readers of any age, though younger readers may require additional guided discussion to further understand racism's historical and current influences. I think this book could easily be utilized in an educational sense by competent teachers. In totality, I believe Yang and the Gurihiru team made full use of their experience telling stories for younger readers and have successfully adapted the original radio program into a thought-provoking and affirmative narrative relevant to its time, and to the modern-day,

Thank you to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for providing me an advanced reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, and this may be obvious from the title, if depictions of children being harmed are triggering for you I would not recommend you read this book. The art does not shy away from showing graphic depictions of the injuries the monster inflicts on its victims, so read at your own discretion. 

Anyway, I've been looking forward to reading this series for a while and feel it surpassed my expectations. I enjoyed that the story contains a fair amount of mystery, by the end of the first volume we still understand very little about this world and the monsters that lurk in it. 

The pacing was done well and effortlessly grasped my attention. These first issues were mostly plot-motivated, but I look forward to learning more about our protagonists. Specifically, I'd like to learn what drives Erica, and how she became involved in the monster-hunting business. It seems clear that this volume is just an introduction, and a substantial amount of worldbuilding has already been planned. I definitely intend to follow along with this story as it continues to develop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me an advanced reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I was not previously familiar with Calin's work so I wasn't sure if I would like her comedy style. Luckily I thought this book was hilarious! Most of the gags featured in it are self-deprecating but still remain light-hearted and relatable. Calin definitely has a talent for capturing expressions, and I loved her comedic timing and raw honesty. Multiple strips in this collection were laugh-out-loud hilarious and I was sad to realize I had finished reading the last page. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers looking for humourous titles!

Thank you to NetGalley and DC Comics for providing me an advanced reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a very sweet story. Each of the characters were developed with realistic thoughts and emotions and I appreciated that the protagonists and their parents were written like individuals and not plot elements. I enjoyed the romance and how it expressed that romantic feelings and relationships can be complicated and confusing, and effort is required to further understand your partner. I felt the teenage characters were written with a good balance that some other storytellers fail to capture. Their emotions could be extreme, but they never read as melodramatic. They process hurt and betrayal with emotional intelligence and empathy that often is simplified in young adult stories to move the narrative along. 

I was also glad that none of the central characters or their parents were portrayed as outright villains, even when they're unfair towards each other. While the parents make mistakes and hide important knowledge from their children, they're given reasonable motivations and eventually increase their efforts to respect how their children need to be supported. The only one-dimensional characters were the homophobic bullies, as it wouldn't have been appropriate to characterize them otherwise.

It seems like the largest criticism of this book given by other reviewers was that including homophobic bullies who receive little to no punishment from their school administration for being violently bigoted "dated" the story. Unfortunately, in my own experience and from hearing about my sisters', I don't feel this is an inaccurate depiction. At our high school, bigoted students would spout slurs and dehumanizing statements regularly, and within teachers' realm of hearing. Yet they were never met with disciplinary actions or even criticism. It's insensitive to decide that bigoted aggression in a public setting is something young people aren't threatened with anymore, just because you have not encountered it recently or ever. 

Overall, I felt this story was definitely created with care. Each of the graphic novels in this new imprint seem to suffer from the briefness demanded of them, but I thought this was one of the better ones. Self-discovery is the central theme of this narrative, and explored from multiple angles. I do hope this book receives a sequel since it only scratches the surface of Jake's origin as a hero.