Cover Image: Anti/Hero

Anti/Hero

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Member Reviews

Another DC hit with a fun story of two girls who couldn't be more different, learning to be friends while saving the world. A sure hit for fans of the Babysitters Club graphic novels and Babymouse.

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What a fun graphic novel and introduction of middle grade superheros/villans. Everything about this worked. The illustrations feel like marvel but look like Marigold. Plus the story would have universal appeal and hits many diversity points that makes it almost perfect for everyone. I hope there is a sequel and that I can get my hands on it soon.

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This was a really good graphic novel about finding your own strength. Good origin story. I would be interested in reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I’m not going to lie when I say that both my children rushed to get their hands on this book before I even got it out of the envelope. Not only is this a visually stunning book, but it tackles some great aspects of early teenage life that will help your young teen (or pre-teen) understand their own struggles. Sloane and Piper are two very different girls, who grew up completely different lives, yet are brought together in a most astonishing way. While they both are struggling to be a hero, they mistake that they need to be aware of those around them and not take what they have for granted.

Anti/Hero shows that not everyone is who they make themselves out to be and to respect those around you. You have no idea the battles someone is fighting.

Sloane is an only child with a black palette. She is considered the villain because she commits crimes only to support her sick mother. She is a complete tech genius who loves academics and strives to just do what she needs to do.

Piper is a spunky Hispanic 13-year-old girl. She lives her Tio and Abuela as her parents are out on a long research mission. She accidentally gained superpowers when she was younger and has since been determined to prove her worth as a hero. While she struggles academically, she is fierce in sports and is not afraid to down a bag of cheesy chips.

When both girls are after the same device, they switch bodies and begin to discover more about the world than they ever thought possible. Whether it be the negative or positives of life, each girl learns a new appreciation to what they have.



While I absolutely love DC Kids and DC Ink publications for bringing girls, diversity, and personal struggles into their novels there is something different about Anti/Hero. This novel successfully developed not one, but two, teenage girls’ development of two completely different personalities and up-bringing. The idea of a typical friendship was fully established within these pages while also dealing with resentment and jealousy of taking in how other families differ from your own.

Given that this novel takes place in suburbs of Gotham, it wouldn’t be true without a unique cameo from Batman himself. That is such a nice way to tie these characters in to the city for younger readers. Batman is a staple in DC and Gotham, so to include him was a nice touch.

Personally, the only downfall that I noticed with the book was the lack of attention to the girl’s Antarctica trip. As they were in each other’s bodies for school, they were in a competition run by Bruce Wayne to win a Summer Science and Adventure Program. To which fell sort of flat throughout the novel. They were both striving to win but once they won it wasn’t even spoken of again. I understand the idea of using this competition for the girls to learn more about one another, but it was brought up a lot to have made it feel more important, especially for Piper. That was all.

I would love to see this novel in every middle school. I wish I had books like this growing up and I truly feel that graphic novels aren’t as appreciated as they should be. Anti/Hero was full of life, understanding, friendship, and discovery. Truly a staple in a pre-teen’s library.

This book was given to me by DC for an honest review. That has in no way influenced my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Until next time & Happy Reading,

Brittany

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Anti/Hero is the perfect graphic novel for student who like Superhero origin stories. What students will enjoy when reading this are the relationship between Piper and Sloane, the switch between them, the transformation of the superheroes, and the appearance of a favorite well-known superhero!

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This middle-grade graphic novel was cute and fun, and a nice addition to the DC universe. It takes place in a suburb of Gotham City (honestly, I've never thought about Gotham having suburbs, so that right there was interesting), and our main characters are two supers- one a would-be superhero (Hummingbird), the other a reluctant supervillain (Gray Owl), who are unaware that they're classmates in middle school. One night, while Hummingbird is trying to stop the Gray Owl from stealing an experimental tech device from a lab, the device sparks, and they switch bodies. Now they must work together to get their own bodies back, but not before spending some time in each other's lives, and becoming friends. Bruce Wayne and Batman make guest appearances at the end, though it's the girls that save the day. While the story is a little predictable, I did appreciate that it didn't fall into stereotypes, it dealt with real family issues kids go through, and there was some good character growth. The art is bold and splashy, with great action scenes, and the story's pacing flows nicely.

#AntiHero #NetGalley

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I'm not usually much into the super hero genre, but this one is extra fun and punchy. I did get a little confused. I didn't feel I knew the characters well enough when they began to switch for me to keep everything straight in my head. But overall, a good pick for those easing into the graphic novel genre.

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I was really impressed with this graphic novel following two original superhero teens in DC's Gotham City. Both characters are very distinct without becoming stereotypes, and even when they switch bodies you can tell who is who! Original superheroes are a bit of a tough sell at the library because the market was so saturated for a while, but this is one that I think kids will get enthusiastic about.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, modern take on Freaky Friday. I appreciated that the main characters didn't devolve into negative stereotypes (Latina girl in a broken home in a poor neighborhood, etc.). The superhero aspect was obviously present, but powers and the ability to use them responsibly wasn't the main focus. The girls felt multi-dimensional and grew throughout the book, making it a worthwhile addition to a collection as well as a good choice for a tween/younger teen book club. I also really enjoyed the art; it was beautifully done. The one aspect I wasn't crazy about was the villain; The Bear seemed goofy and not all that scary, so I didn't ever think that the girls wouldn't defeat him. However, since crime-fighting was a smaller part of the story to the girls' relationship, it's a very small criticism. I also found the plot device of the school competition to be unimportant; it felt like it was just thrown in there to get the girls to go to Antarctica in a future novel. It's so nice to see new superheroes and new superhero books based around young girls from different backgrounds; I would've loved this even more if I was 10. My guess is that there will be more books to come, and I can't wait to see more from The Hummingbird and The Grey Owl!

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So much fun! Two wildly different girls learning to be friends while dealing with different powers, different families - set in the DC universe but you don't have to know anything about the DC universe to fully enjoy this book.

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Middle grade superhero comic. This is a fast-paced comic book with two young girls in East Gotham (yes, a suburb of that Gotham City--Batman does make an appearance at the end of the story). Sloane is a genius, who has an unfortunate relationship with The Bear, head of the city's evil forces. Piper is a Hispanic girl that lives with her uncle (a cop) and her abuela. She has super strength and a super appetite to go with it. When the girls end up at the same crime scene they accidentally switch bodies. They need to figure out how to switch back, thwart the Bear's plans, and compete in the school competition with a prize of going to Antarctica with scientists. The girls reluctantly work together, smooth some of each other's sharp edges, and become friends. They also find a balance between brain and brawn that was needed for both. A very fun, fairly quick read sure to please superhero fans as well as general adventurous story fans. Although I could have done with a little more clarity regarding the results of the school's competition.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review a digital ARC.

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Two girls from the same school and different backgrounds, one with super-smarts (Sloane) and the other with super-strength (Piper), are thrust together when a plot to steal a secret device goes wrong. In a Freaky Friday-esque twist, they each find themselves in the other's body with the memory, family, super-powers of the other. As a graphic novel, this is a visually pleasing offering. It's part of the DC Universe (Bruce Wayne shows up to host a school competition). Though the girls switched bodies, the still appeared the same. For example, when Piper was in Sloane's body, she had Sloane's super strength. Because the bodies themselves did not act differently depending on who was inhabiting them, dialogue was the only way to tell the girls apart, making it difficult to follow which girl was in which body. I kept having to "rewind" the plot or remind myself who was really speaking and acting.

I will probably add this to my middle school collection based on its and the every-growing need for clean, middle-grades graphic novels. However, for libraries with tight budgets, this is an additional purchase.

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This was a quick read superhero vs. super villain graphic novel, with lot of humor.

Piper and Sloane both attend the same middle school, yet live very different lives. Sloane is a smarty pants, who always has the answer to every question, and keeps to herself. Meanwhile, Piper is extremely athletic, struggles with school, and loves to eat. These two middle schoolers are also sworn enemies- Piper being a superhero and Sloane being a super villain.

When the two girls unexpectedly switch bodies and literally have to walk in each other's shoes, they start to appreciate the other for who they are, all while gaining an appreciation for what they have. Will each girl be able to adapt to their new body in order to gain their own back?

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I have to admit the freaky Friday switch took me by surprise but it was well used as a device for these girls to discover more about each other and all of the assumptions they’ve made about themselves. This Tween/teen book about how you get labels in school and what it means to work to defie them as you define yourself gets a boost with super hero action. Love everything about the two heroines.

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This was a humorous and quirky superhero vs. super villain graphic novel. Two sworn enemies are actually undercover supers. Well when things couldn’t get worse, they switch bodies. Let’s just say that things don’t go as expected, especially when they now how to live in each other’s shoes… literally.

Piper and Sloane both attend the same middle school, but would never be caught seen together. Piper is a foodie (major time), loves color, is athletic, and lives with her abuela since her parents are working in Antartica. On the other hand, Sloane is a smarty pants, always has the answer to everything, and lives with her not-so-well mother in a sketchy side of the city. Their differences were not as obvious before they swapped bodies. They each learned about one another's lifestyle and how hard it is for both of them.

The themes that surface are poverty-stricken lifestyles, loss of parents, feelings of not being enough, and unlikely friendships.

The illustrations in this graphic novel are absolutely gorgeous too. The vivid colors and the contrasts of black/white vs. color is phenomenal. This is a graphic novel that my students would eat up. I am hoping that this will be a series!

Thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics for the eARC!

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I'm sorry- I was not ever able to get this book to open on any app so I did not read it. I tried to open it in BlueFire and Aikaido (or however that is spelled) but neither app would open it. Nor was the file recognized on a laptop. I still plan to purchase it for my library based on the subject and author alone, but I can't write a review of it. Since I didn't read the book I can't give an actual rating so I'm just giving a somewhat high star rating because it wouldn't be fair to give a low one.

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While Anti/Hero is not my favorite of the recent DC Comics for Kids initiative, it is still a pretty good option for all libraries where kids love superheroes (which, let's be realistic, is basically all school and public libraries). The story was a little contrived, but both protagonists were likable and fairly realistic. I hope to see a sequel following their further exploits. Given the chance, I think this could be a good first volume, as a stand-alone it is alright.

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Anti/Hero is a fun body-swapping story about two very different "supers" who accidentally get their hands on a device that makes them switch bodies, and thus, super powers. Along the way, the girls learn to be friends and understand each other's perspectives--and themselves--much better.

This is a sweet, fast paced read, good for kids looking for friendship stories with a little super hero flair. And a fun cameo by Batman!

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Great middle grade superhero genre graphic novel. I enjoyed the contrast of the personalities of the 2 female antagonists. The hardworking, studious character juxtaposed with the loud, athletic, act now/think later character offered relatable traits for all readers. Also, the coloring is so well done, it left me wanting more. Lunetta & Quinn make a great team. Possible sequel? I hope so. Verdict: Highly recommend this action packed, girl-team superhero graphic novel.

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Antihero had a very good story line. I absolutely loved the artists style and the color used in the story. I enjoy reading novels in comic book style because it gives more dimension to the story and it helps keep children entertained. I like the Hero / villain dynamic and how people overcome their differences to achieve a similar goal. i give it a 4.50 / 5.00 also BATMAN!

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