Graphic Novel Review: Super Hero Girls at Metropolis High

DC Super Hero Girls by Amy Wolfram
DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High
by Amy Wolfram,  Yancey Labat (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Supergirl, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Bumblebee, and Zatanna are all required to join a school club to show their school spirit. They can barely find time to attend classes between superhero crime-fighting, so how will they find time to join club activities? They find out that it’s harder than it seems to stay in a club without getting kicked out by their frustrated classmates. If they want to find a club where they can fit in and learn something new, they will have to change their thinking, especially when they are used to feeling capable and super at everything.

I enjoyed this graphic novel so much! The character development is wonderful, and I liked how the various plot lines wove around and finally resolved together. The super girls join clubs where they are either TOO good at the activity, risking revealing their powers, or they join a club where they are really terrible at the activity, and they feel stupid and incompetent.

The best part about this story is the adorable friendships between all the super girls! They are all so different, with different powers, abilities, personalities, and interests, but they love and support each other through everything, and not just in their crime-fighting missions. They really come together to inspire and encourage one another, and I loved the caring dynamic they shared.
The story focuses slightly more on Supergirl, as she struggles with feeling inadequate for the expectations that are put on her. They all have a lot of pressure on them, both in their crime-fighting and in regular school, and it was wonderful to see how they learn to deal with that pressure and ask for help when they need it.

I loved the cartoony art! It’s really colorful and bright, with great action and easy to read dialogue. I loved the characters’ style; their costumes, hair, and facial expressions really brought them to life. The art made it so easy to get lost in the story!

I found it difficult at first to keep track of all the super girls and remember who was who. There are seven of them, and that’s a lot of main characters to be introduced all at once in the beginning. I wish I could have started reading from the beginning of this series, although I think each book in the series is supposed to work as a stand-alone.

Of course, I was already familiar with Batgirl, Wonder Woman, and Supergirl, but I didn’t know a lot about Green Lantern or Bumblebee, and I had barely heard of Zatanna before. I wish that there was a little more introductory information about these characters for those of us who like superheros but don’t know everything in the DC universe yet. I’m still learning and discovering all these great characters!

I found it almost impossible to follow who all the villains are. I recognized Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Lena Luthor, Livewire, and Ivy, but I had no clue who the other two were, and it was never really explained in the story what their powers are, or who they are, or where they come from, or what they want. That’s a lot of villains to be running around together and no explanation about why they are working together or anything. Maybe that is explained in other books in the series, but a recap would have been nice.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

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