Not much more than a vehicle created to spotlight middle school versions of DC Comics heroes and baddies, but fans, at...
Young students with oddly familiar names team up to investigate the nefarious agenda of their school’s administration in this batty series opener.
In fact, hardly has Bruce Wayne hung a couple of bats in his new locker at Gotham City’s exclusive Ducard Academy than glimpses of lurking ninjas, an encounter with cream-pie–bearing bully Joe Kerr, and other signs raise his suspicion that something’s not right. With plenty of help from exchange student Diana Prince and hayseed classmate Clark Kent, he does indeed expose a scheme to recruit young villains—explained in detail by principal Ra’s Al Ghul—before he escapes in the wake of a climactic ninja battle. Along the way Bruce and company try out for extracurricular activities (“Boys’ sports: All pain, some gain! To sign up, see Coach Zod”), attend classes taught by the likes of Alice in Wonderland–obsessed Jervis Tetch, and adopt distinctive Halloween costumes for the climactic dust-up. Spun out in a mix of journal entries, chat transcripts, screenshots, and panels of comic art as loose as the plotline, the tale hurtles its inconclusive way to a close that leaves Bruce looking forward to the bats, shadows, and mysteries of summer camp. Stay tuned.
Not much more than a vehicle created to spotlight middle school versions of DC Comics heroes and baddies, but fans, at least, will enjoy catching the references. (Graphic fantasy. 9-11)Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-82501-6
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
Adds up to a promising, challenging start.
Endowed with awesome powers thanks to an Arithmetic Meteor, three young friends work to defend the “math-centric city of Computropolis” from evil in this series kickoff.
First villains up: Null Void (and her “vile cohorts”), who snatch the newly invented Divmulti Ray—which allows users to multiply or divide anything—for their nefarious purposes. The Solvers—Leo, Shahi, and Moe—multiply their powers, calculate their way out of numerous pickles, and, bottom line, send their nemesis packing after cleverly foiling her schemes. Along the way, there are frequent pauses so that their sidekick Duncan (they also have a feline assistant, Rosy, who minds the Math Mansion when they’re out) can explain topics such as factors, skip-counting, and long division. Action takes a distant backseat to instruction here, but Chad depicts both clearly and puts Leo, Shahi, and Moe at the head of a cast notably diverse of species as well as race. Along with demonstrating that there are usually multiple ways of arriving at correct answers, he also repeatedly challenges the invidious notion that multiplication and division aren’t useful in daily real life. Leo, Duncan, and Null Void are light-skinned, Shahi is dark-skinned, and Moe is tan-skinned; Moe uses they/them pronouns.
Adds up to a promising, challenging start. (glossary, step-by-step explanation of long division) (Graphic superhero nonfiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781523512065
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Numeracy drives this tale, but superhero action keeps the pedal to the metal.
In this STEM-centric series’ second episode, learning to manipulate fractions and decimals helps three young superheroes defend the Arithmetic Meteor, which gave them their powers, from archnemesis Null Void.
Unwisely accepting free cans of Micro Cola from the thinly disguised, light-skinned villain leaves the suddenly mouse-sized Solvers—light-skinned Leo, dark-skinned Shahi, and tan-skinned Moe (who uses they/them pronouns)—in desperate straits. Only by learning how to make, convert, add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions and decimals are they going to be able to make sense of the ingredients for an Enlarging Formula and various other helpful concoctions. Much instruction ensues, with careless mistakes (notably one that subjects them to Sudden Additional Shrinking Syndrome: “We got SASSed!!”), definitions of terms, step-by-step examples, and problems laid out so that motivated readers can do the figuring right along with the costumed trio. Leo and Moe travel realistic learning curves while Shahi does most of the explaining, but all three wind up on the same page in time to put things right and deliver a rousing cheer: “Hooray for fractions!” “Hooray for decimals!” “Hooray for math!” The message that facility with fractions and decimals is helpful in daily life gets a good airing, too.
Numeracy drives this tale, but superhero action keeps the pedal to the metal. (glossary) (Graphic superhero nonfiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781523512775
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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