DC Comics announced a slew of graphic novels for young adult and middle grade readers at the American Library Association’s annual convention.
The graphic novels feature a number of DC Comics’ most iconic characters including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Zatanna, Dick Grayson, Green Lantern, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, and more.
In a press release announcing these titles, DC Comics made it clear these stories are “not part of DC’s ongoing comic book continuity.” They state they are “completely accessible to new fans.”
They describe the young adult-centric stories as “thought provoking stories for readers ages 13 and up that focus on everyday aspirations, struggles, and triumphs.”
Their middle grade graphic novels are aimed for readers ages 8 to 12 and “tell stories focused on friends, family, and growing up.”
DC Comics Young Adult Graphic Novels
DC Comics announced 5 young adult graphic novels that will debut in Spring 2020.
Wonder Woman: Warbringer
Wonder Woman: Warbringer will be written by Leigh Bardugo and illustrated by Kit Seaton. It is adapted to graphic novel form by Louise Simonson. It is expected to debut on January 7, 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning.Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Leigh Bardugo, this graphic novel adaptation brings to life Diana’s first adventure beyond the hidden shores of Themyscira.
Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.
Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.”
Gotham High
Gotham High will be written by Melissa de la Cruz with artwork by Thomas Pitilli. It is expected to debut in February of 2020.
Here’s the official description.
After being kicked out of his boarding school, 16-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents’ murder. Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a dangerous flair, aided by the class clown, Jack Napier.
When a kidnapping rattles the school, Bruce seeks answers as the dark and troubled knight–but is he actually the pawn? Nothing is ever as it seems, especially at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes … and where everyone is a suspect.
With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, this new graphic novel is just as intoxicating as it is chilling, in which dearest friends turn into greatest enemies–all within the hallways of Gotham High!”
The Oracle Code
The Oracle code is from author Marieke Nijkamp and artist Manuel Preitano. It is expected to debut in March 2020.
Here’s the official description:
After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed, Barbara Gordon enters the Arkham Center for Independence, where Gotham’s teens undergo physical and mental rehabilitation. Now using a wheelchair, Barbara must adapt to a new normal, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is dangerously amiss. Within these walls, strange sounds escape at night; patients go missing; and Barbara begins to put together pieces of what she believes to be a larger puzzle.
But is this suspicion simply a result of her trauma? Fellow patients try to connect with Barbara, but she pushes them away, and she’d rather spend time with ghost stories than participate in her daily exercises. Even Barbara’s own judgment is in question.
In The Oracle Code, universal truths cannot be escaped, and Barbara Gordon must battle the phantoms of her past before they swarm her future.”
Shadow of the Batgirl
Shadow of the Batgirl is written by Sarah Kuhn with artwork by Nicole Goux. It is expected to debut in April 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“Cassandra Cain, teenage assassin, isn’t exactly Batgirl material…not yet, at least. But when Batgirl goes missing from Gotham, can Cassandra defy her destiny and take on a heroic mantle of her very own?
Cassandra Cain is the daughter of super-villains and a living weapon trained from birth to be the ultimate assassin. But that doesn’t mean she has to stay that way, right? She’ll have to go through an identity crisis of epic proportions to find out. But how do you figure out who you’re supposed to be when you’ve been trained to become a villain your entire life?
After a soul-shattering moment that sends Cass reeling, she’ll attempt to answer this question the only way she knows how: learning everything she possibly can about her favorite hero–Batgirl. But Batgirl hasn’t been seen in Gotham for years, and when Cass’s father threatens the world she has grown to love, she’ll have to step out of the shadows and overcome her greatest obstacle–that voice inside her head telling her she can never be a hero.
Sarah Kuhn, author of Heroine Complex and I Love You So Mochi, takes on her favorite hero of color for a new audience of readers. Featuring the edgy art style of Nicole Goux, Shadow of the Batgirl tells the harrowing story of a girl who overcomes the odds to find her unique identity.”
Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Graphic Novel
Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Graphic Novel is written by Michael Moreci with art by Sas Milledge. It is expected to debut in May 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“Before Batman trained him to be Robin, Dick Grayson discovered the power of young love–and its staggering costs–at the dangerous, magical, and utterly irresistible Lost Carnival.
Haly’s traveling circus no longer has the allure of its glamorous past, but it still has one main attraction: the Flying Graysons, a family of trapeze artists starring a teenage Dick Grayson. The only problem is that Dick loathes spending his summers performing tired routines for a dwindling crowd.
When the Lost Carnival, a wild and enchanting new attraction, opens nearby and threatens to pull Haly’s remaining customers, Dick is among those drawn to its magical nighttime glow. But there are forces ancient and dangerous at work at the Lost Carnival, and when Dick meets the mysterious Luciana and her carnival workers–each stranger than the last–he may be too mesmerized to recognize the danger ahead.
Beneath the carnival’s dazzling fireworks, Dick must decide who he is and who he wants to be–choosing between loyalty to his family history and a glittering future with new friends and romance. Writer Michael Moreci and artist Sas Milledge redefine Dick Grayson in The Lost Carnival, a young adult graphic novel exploring the power and magic of young love.”
Along with these five titles, DC Comics announced 13 more, albeit without a synopsis or any art work. They include:
- Catwoman: Soulstealer – Adapted by Louise Simonson from Sarah J. Maas’ DC Icon prose novel and illustrated by Samantha Dodge
- Galaxy: The Prettiest Star – Written by Jadzia Axelrod and illustrated by Cait Zellers
- House of El Book 1 – Written by Claudia Gray and illustrated by Eric Zawadzki
- I Am Not Starfire—Written by Mariko Tamaki
- Mister Miracle – Written by Varian Johnson
- Nubia – Written by L.L. McKinney and illustrated by Robyn Smith
- Swamp Thing – Written by Maggie Stiefvater and illustrated by Morgan Beem
- Teen Titans: Beast Boy – Written by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Gabriel Picolo
- Victor & Nora: A Mr. Freeze Story – Written by Lauren Myracle and illustrated by Isaac Goodhart
- Whistle – Written by E. Lockhart and illustrated by Manuel Preitano
- Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed – Written by Laurie Halse Anderson and illustrated by Leila del Duca
- You Brought Me the Ocean – Written by Alex Sanchez and illustrated by Julie Maroh
- Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend – Written by Alys Arden and illustrated by Jacquelin De Leon
DC Comics Middle Grade Graphic Novels
As for their Middle Grade Titles, DC Comics announced 9 new titles with art and synopses.
Diana: Princess of the Amazons
Diana: Princess of Amazons will be written by Shannon and Dean Hale with artwork by Victoria Ying. It is expected to debut on January 7, 2020.
Here’s the official description:
Cut off from the rest of the world, Diana had an idyllic childhood on Themyscira. But now 11-years-old, she’s beginning to feel more and more isolated. Though she has many “aunties” and a loving mother, she is an only child. THE only child, in fact.
After an escapade goes wrong, Queen Hippolyta chastises Diana for not living up to the Amazon standard. Diana just can’t seem to measure up, no matter what she does! Literally every other person on the island is an adult proficient in their trade and mighty in body, while she is gangly, sometimes clumsy, and not particularly proficient in anything. She’s not Wonder Woman yet. What Diana needs is a friend; someone her own age whom she can talk to. But when she decides to take matters into her own hands–she may just make a monster instead.
Green Lantern: Legacy
Green Lantern: Legacy is written by Minh Lê and illustrated by Andie Tong. It is expected to debut on January 21, 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“Thirteen-year-old Tai Pham lives in the apartment above his grandmother’s store, where his bedroom is crammed with sketchpads and comic books. But not even his most imaginative drawings could compare to the colorful adventure he’s about to embark on.
When Tai inherits his grandmother’s jade ring, he soon finds out it’s more than it appears. Suddenly he’s being inducted into a group of space cops known as the Green Lanterns, his neighborhood is being overrun by some racist bullies, and every time he puts pen to paper, he’s forced to confront that he might not be creative enough or strong enough to uphold his ba’s legacy.Now Tai must decide what kind of hero he wants to be: will he learn to soar above his insecurities or will the past keep him grounded? “
Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime
Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime is written by Derek Fridolfs with artwork Dustin Nguyen. It is expected to debut in February 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“Featuring four distinct stories including Damian Wayne, Alfred and Batman, Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen bring together the DC Universe with classic fairytales.
Once upon a crime…
Damian Wayne dreams of becoming a real boy wonder–as long as he can avoid telling lies and making his nose grow.
Batman’s butler takes an unexpected trip through the looking glass and finds himself in a topsy-turvy world, for Alfred’s in Wonderland!
Gotham City Police Department detectives interrogate Gotham’s most dangerous criminals looking for the princess who stole the pea.
And in our final tale, Batman meets a snow queen who leads him on a dangerous quest.
The creative team behind LI’L GOTHAM returns to their Bat-roots, this time with a fairy-tale flair!
Illustrated by Dustin Nguyen is a New York Times best-selling and Eisner Award-winning American comics creator best known for his work on Image Comics’ Descender and Ascender, DC Comics’ BATMAN: LI’L GOTHAM, Scholastic’s DC Comics: Secret Hero Society and many other things Gotham-related.
Written by Derek Fridolfs has been Eisner Award-nominated for co-writing BATMAN: LI’L GOTHAM and is the #1 New York Times best-selling writer of the DC Comics: Secret Hero Society series. In addition, he’s also written and provided art for titles including TEEN TITANS GO!, SCOOBY-DOO, LOONEY TUNES, Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
Zatanna & the House of Secrets
Zatanna & the House of Secrets is written by Matthew Cody with illustrations by Yoshi Yoshitani. It is expected to debut in February 2020.
Here’s the official description:
Zatanna and her professional magician father live in a special house, the House of Secrets, which is full of magic, puzzles, mysterious doors, and storybook creatures–it’s the house everyone in the neighborhood talks about but avoids. Not that Zatanna cares, though, because she is perfectly content.
But at school one day, Zatanna stands up to a bully and everything changes … including her friends. Suddenly, Zatanna isn’t so sure about her place in the world, and when she returns home to tell her father, he’s gone missing, lost within their own home.
With thrilling twists from writer Matthew Cody and dazzling artwork by Yoshi Yoshitani, Zantanna and the House of Secrets will delight readers at the turn of every page–and the opening of every door!”
Batman: Overdrive
Batman: Overdrive is written by Shea Fontana with artwork by Marcelo DiChiara. It is expected to debut in March 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“Batman: Overdrive tells the story of how a young, pre-Batman Bruce Wayne came to build the Batmobile while still processing the pain and guilt of his parents’ death, and how he comes to understand that he doesn’t have to walk through life on his own.
Driven to solve the mystery of his parents’ murders, teenage loner Bruce Wayne hones his detective and combat skills as he scours the underbelly of Gotham looking for clues. Feeling responsible, Bruce is eager to find someone to pin the blame on so he can absolve himself of the guilt he feels. His quest for freedom while still clinging to the past is revealed in his effort to rebuild his dad’s first car. Finding the correct parts forces Bruce to open himself up to new friendships and challenges, ultimately leading him to what he desires most: freedom!
Batman: Overdrive by writer Shea Fontana and artist Marcelo DiChiara is a heartfelt story touching on the importance of friendship, trust, and forgiveness.”
DC Super Hero Girls: Powerless
DC Super Hero Girls: Powerless is written by Amy Wolfram with art by Agnes Garbowska. It is expected to debut in March 2020.
Here’s the official description:
When the electric grid and cloud computing get knocked out on the same night, the Metropolis High Hamsters aren’t quite sure how to deal…with a cafeteria that only accepts CASH?! And some of the girls are more affected than others–Batgirl without her smartphone barely makes it to school at all, but Green Lantern is mostly determined to keep her friends safe. Speaking of which, has anyone seen Bumblebee?
With half the team out of commission, how will the girls find the source of the problem and fix it before Sweet Justice runs out of non-frozen desserts?!
DC Super Hero Girls: Powerless continues to develop the relationships forged throughout the beloved DC Super Hero Girls series. This story is perfect for ages 6-10 and a great entry point into the DC Universe and graphic novels.”
Anti/Hero
Anti/Hero is written by Kate Karyus Quinn and Demitria Lunetta with art by Maca Gil. It is expected to debut in April 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“Piper Parajo and Sloane McBrute are two 13-year-old girls with very different lives but very similar secrets. At school, Piper is pretty and popular, upbeat and always willing to help out her friends, whereas Sloane is a loaner, smart and snarky but with zero friends and zero interest in having any. Outside of the classroom, Piper is strong, really strong, like ripping the doors off of cars strong. She longs to be a superhero and tries to use her powers to do good, even if she tends to leave a massive mess in her wake. Sloane on the other hand is smart, like evil-genius level smart, and in order to provide for her mother, she puts those smarts to the use of her villainous grandfather.
When a mission to steal an experimental technological device brings the two girls to face each other, the device sparks, and the two girls switch bodies! Now they must live in each others shoes as they figure out a way to switch back.”
ArkhaManiacs
ArkhaManiacs is written by Art Baltazar and Franco with art by Art Baltazar. It is expected to debut in April 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“ArkhaManiacs is Art Baltazar and Franco providing their unique, cartoony take on a certain apartment building (Arkham) in Gotham City and the people (mostly!) who live there.
Young Bruce Wayne is drawn to the fun and excitement he sees going on at Arkham, but to Wayne Enterprises, it’s just another property they own. Bruce is determined to find out why Arkham is full of so much fun and laughter. What exactly is going on over there? Time to sneak over when no one is looking…even though it’s like the house is laughing at him! HA HA HA!”
My Video Game Ate My Homework
My Video Game Ate My Homework is written and illustrated by Dustin Hansen. It is expected to debut in May 2020.
Here’s the official description:
“Meet Dewey Jenkins, a 13-year old school kid who’s about to fail science class. Follow Dewey on an amazing adventure that leads him and his friends to a virtual world where they will have to overcome all sorts of digital creatures and solve a number of puzzles in order to get home.
MY VIDEO GAME ATE MY HOMEWORK is a funny, fast-paced adventure that shows the importance of cooperation and teamwork and the importance of using your own unique abilities to solve problems. It’s illustrated in Hansen’s light-hearted, cartoony style, and filled with lots of sight gags and nods to videogaming conventions.
DUSTIN HANSEN spent years directing and creating video games before becoming a writer and illustrator. His published works include the MICROSAURS illustrated chapter book series and his fan-favorite GAME ON! VIDEO GAME HISTORY FROM PONG AND PAC-MAN TO MARIO, MINECRAFT, AND MORE.”
Along with these 9 titles, DC Comics announced 14 other titles expected to arrive in 2020 and 2021.
- Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld – Written by Shannon and Dean Hale
- Batman and Robin…and Howard – Written and illustrated by Jeffrey Brown
- DC Super Hero Girls – Written by Amy Wolfram
- Dear Super-Villains – Written by Michael Northrop and illustrated by Gustavo Duarte
- Green Arrow: Stranded – Written by Brendan Deneen and illustrated by Caleb Hosalla
- Indestructibles Book 1—Written by Ridley Pearson
- Lois Lane – Written by Grace Ellis and illustrated by Brittney Williams
- Metropolis Grove – Written and illustrated by Drew Brockington
- Primer – Written by Thomas Krajewski and Jennifer Muro and illustrated by Gretel Lusky
- Superman Smashes the Klan – Written by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by Gurihiru
- Super Sons Book 3: Escape to Landis – Written by Ridley Pearson and illustrated by Ile Gonzalez
- Teen Titans Go! to Camp – Written by Sholly Fisch
- Teen Titans Go! Roll with It – Written by Heather Nuhfer and P.C. Morrissey
- The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher: A Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel – Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Derek Charm
What do you make of all of these graphic novels? Do any of them jump out at you?