STUDY HALL OF JUSTICE

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.