Dear Justice League

by Michael Northrop, Gustavo Duarte (Illustrator)

Overview

Hello! Justice League here. Ask us anything!

Does Superman ever make mistakes? Does Wonder Woman have to listen to her parents? Does Aquaman smell like fish? The greatest heroes in the DC Comics Universe, the Justice League, answer mail from their biggest fans—kids!

From New York Times bestselling author of TombQuest, Michael Northrop, comes a new middle grade graphic novel series where iconic heroes are asked questions both big and small and, when they're not busy saving the world, the Justice League even finds time to respond. Their honest and humorous answers will surprise and delight readers of any age, as it turns out that being a superhero is not too different from being a kid.

Full of feats, follies, and colorful illustrations by Gustavo Duarte, Dear Justice League gives readers the inside scoop into everyday heroics, no matter who wears the cape!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401284138
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	08/06/2019
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	518,487
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

Michael Northrop is the New York Times bestselling author of Scholastic's new multi-platform series, TombQuest. His first young adult novel, Gentlemen, earned him a Publishers Weekly Flying Start citation, and his second, Trapped, was an Indie Next List selection. His first middle-grade novel, Plunked, was named one of the best children's books of the year by the New York Public Library and was selected for NPR's Backseat Book Club. He is originally from Salisbury, Connecticut, a small town in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains, where he mastered the arts of BB gun shooting, tree climbing, and field goal kicking with only moderate injuries. After graduating from NYU, he worked at Sports Illustrated Kids magazine for 12 years, the last five of those as baseball editor.

Gustavo Duarte is a Brazilian cartoonist, graphic designer and a comics creator and currently resides in São Paulo. For the last 20 years, Duarte's cartoons and illustrations have been published in some of the most popular publications in Brazil. In 2009, Duarte began publishing his own comics like Monsters!, Có!, Birds and others. In addition to his own works, he has also written and illustrated comics for major publishers including DC (Bizarro) and Marvel (Guardians of the Galaxy and Lockjaw), among others.

Editorial Reviews

A clever idea, smartly executed.” –NPR

"The heroes we love are more lovable than ever in this clever, laugh-out-loud funny and action-packed adventure. Dear Justice League definitely does the JLA justice!” —Jerry Craft, author of New Kid

"Dear Justice League really surprised me. That was a level of clever I haven't seen in comics in a long time." —Tom Angleberger, author of the Origami Yoda series

"Northrop’s freewheeling tenor captures the fun in each situation but allows them to humanize the heroes as well, poking humorous holes in the likes of Batman’s foreboding manner and Aquaman’s swaggering braggadocio. Duarte matches this sensibility with heroically gleaming figures whose characteristics are amusingly exaggerated just enough to pull them a little closer to earth." —Booklist

“This new book, written by Michael Northrop with illustrations by Gustavo Duarte, looks and reads fantastically. I cannot wait to get this for my daughter.” –Nerd-O-Rama

“Dear Abby” meets the DC universe. Young superhero fans and reluctant readers will devour this sweet and funny graphic novel." –School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 07/01/2019

Gr 3–6—In this engaging book, kids write to the Justice League superheroes, asking questions that many readers have probably wondered: Has Superman ever been less than perfect? Does Green Lantern get tired of wearing the same colors all the time? Does Aquaman smell like fish? The heroes thoughtfully consider these big and small queries, reflect on their experiences, and come up with answers that are sometimes honest and sometimes diplomatic. In several instances, the kids' lives change for the better after the exchange with their hero. Wonder Woman attends her fan's birthday party, while a boy is overprepared for his first day in a new school after taking Batman's advice. This fun premise is taken to a whole new level by Duarte's colorful, adorable artwork, which buzzes with humor and energy. VERDICT "Dear Abby" meets the DC universe. Young superhero fans and reluctant readers will devour this sweet and funny graphic novel.–Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

2019-04-28
The World's Finest answer emails from middle schoolers.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, and more correspond with their fans in this middle-grade graphic novel, multiple vignettes hanging on the throughline of heroes answering fan mail. Some are silly while others are a bit more weighty; all are illustrated amicably by Duarte. There's a hazy, muted quality to the colors that ground the Justice League and their foes in an approximation of the real world. This grounding compliments the novel well: The transition from Arthur "Aquaman" Curry's thwarting Black Manta to chatting with his fish and typing away at a laptop would be jarring without this unified color palette. Unfortunately, the coloring's flatness chips away at the book's pacing, and the text gets a bit repetitive after a while. It's all well and good for kids to see bits of themselves in their favorite heroes, but when that's the book's only move it gets old quickly. Even at a slim 132 pages, the novel feels overlong. Young fans of the DC characters will be attracted to the cover, but there's little here to keep them engaged, and few will rank this as a favorite. There's little exposition regarding the heroes' background, so those unfamiliar with the characters will feel as though they're on the outside looking in.

A gently illustrated text that will appeal to die-hard completists. (Graphic fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews