In SUPERMAN’S GOOD GUY GANG, young super kid Clark Kent is lonely and bored until he meets a pair of kids who also have superpowers. When they team up to figure out who’s been freezing some cute puppies, they discover a giant milkshake machine that’s gone rogue. They’ll need to use their powers to make it stop. With humor, action-filled artwork and minimal text, this is a fun introduction to classic DC characters for young readers interested in superheroes or comic books.

This book is targeted towards ages 5-7, so there’s definitely a certain level of simplicity and potty humor that’s expected, even amusing. But I feel like there is probably a way to age the heroes down and have them go on adventures without wholly altering their long-standing character traits. Superman was conceited, boastful and honestly kind of a bully in this. As a DC family, I wouldn’t want my kiddo’s first Superman exposure to be this book at all.

I can definitely see it being popular with the demographic—it was very Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Captain Underpants, but there was just a mean-spiritedness that undermined Superman’s long history as a role model for kids and didn’t sit well with me.

Thank you to DC (really. I love you!) and NetGalley for letting me read!

It has the vibe of a picture book which I did like. I also loved how even thought it was meant for a younger audience Gardner was still the arrogant jerk we all love to hate.

4 stars

This is an good selection for kids just starting independent reading before they get into Dogman and Dav Pilkey. Silly rubber limbed characters with easy dialogue and not much other text. Lex Luthor isn't much a bad guy, and the focus is on befriending people who can fly. I guess it's a tie-in to the upcoming Superman movie because it introduces Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl, but that's all it seems to have in common with the movie.

Justus does a splendid job of making Supes and friends and archenemy Lex kidlike while retaining their important iconic personalities. A pure delight for DC fans of all ages!

This one runs a little younger - perfect for emerging readers! - and middle graders will get a kick out of this one, too. Eight-year-old Clark Kent is a super kid, but he's also super lonely and super bored (even though six-year-old Lex Luthor tries super hard to get him to hang out with him) until he meets up with two other super-powered kids: Green Lantern and Hawkgirl! As they try to figure out who's going around freezing puppies, a giant robot attacks, but it's shooting... milkshakes? A fun and hilarious adventure filled with kid-friendly banter, Superman's Good Guy Gang has a nice deep-cut surprise at the end of the story and frenetic energy that bored kids can truly understand and appreciate. If you have readers who enjoy graphic novels by Art Baltazar and Franco, they will love Rob Justus. Another good addition to your graphic novels collections. I can't wait to see more!

DC Comics provided an early galley for review.

From the creator of Death and Sparkles comes this children's book to tie into the upcoming Superman movie this summer. It is very much targetted for young readers (ages 5 to 7), which was right around the time I got into my first comic books many decades ago. I thought this would be fun to check out.

Justus (a perfect name, by the way, for someone writing about super-heroes) does a fantastic job tailoring the material for his target age group. The dialogue is easy to read, and the artwork has a slightly exaggerated style that will appeal to kids. The characters act very much like eight-year-olds. This Superman even has a bit of that Silver Age snarkiness to his personality.

I like how the book ends, leaving it very open for a potential sequel. If it does well (and I suspect it will), this could easily turn into a series for early readers to enjoy.