DC Super Hero Girls: Date With Disaster REVIEW

People will sometimes laugh when I say that I–a twenty-two year old woman–really enjoy DC’s Super Hero Girls franchise, a series of comics and animated shows aimed at children who are between the ages of six and twelve.

Whilst elements of nostalgia (and a general love for DC) obviously come into play as part of my enjoyment of DC Super Hero Girls, mostly I just love it because it’s a fun take on the DC heroes that’s far removed from overly-gritty adaptations that focus more on angst and pain than on love and hope.

If you haven’t dipped your toes into the world of DC Super Hero Girls before, the basic premise of the franchise is an alternate universe where your favourite DC characters like Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Bumblebee, Harley Quinn etc. have been de-aged and go to a boarding school for superheroes known as Super Hero High. Their teachers are characters like Commissioner Gordon and Crazy Quilt (Crazy Quilt is re-imagined as a Textiles teacher who designs superhero suits–how perfect?) and the Vice-Principal of Super Hero High is Gorilla Grodd. It is, in a nutshell, pretty fantastic.

I was kindly given a review copy of Date with Disaster–the latest graphic novel in the DC Super Hero Girls comics line that’s out on the 6th of February–to see how the latest story measured up to the other great Super Hero Girls comics already out.

DC gives the following synopsis for the 128-page graphic novel:

Catwoman is out on the prowl one night when kaboom! An explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs rouses the heroes from their slumber. Star students Batgirl and Lois Lane both know the lab incident is fishy, and they meet later to share clues. But nothing could’ve prepared Batgirl for what they see next: Batgirl’s dad out on a date! Batgirl is grossed out until her friends convince her that dads get lonely, too. And with the school dance coming up and everyone pairing off—heck, even Principal Waller has a date with a guy called Deadshot—maybe it’ll be okay. The girls place a personal ad for Commissioner Gordon while they delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the explosion, but they’re about to discover more than who is behind the attack on S.T.A.R. Labs. Could it be that posting an ad looking for dates for the commissioner is like advertising catnip for criminals? 

Written by Shea Fontana with art and cover by Yancey Labat, DC Super Hero Girls: Date with Disaster is a fun addition to the DC Super Hero Girls franchise that focuses on family and friendship in the face of adversity. It’s a fun “let’s get Batgirl’s helicopter-parenting Dad, aka Commissioner Gordon, a date” story that’s packed full of adventure and action, centered around the girls organising Super Hero High’s spring prom and matching up us many potential lovebirds as they can whilst also dealing with supervillains and other threats.

Labat’s artwork is faithful to the franchise’s clean, bold style, and all of the characters look animated and visually striking within their scenes, whether they’re fighting crime or doing something as simple as brushing their teeth or combing their hair. If you’re new to the world of DC Super Hero Girls, you’ll appreciate the visual re-imaginings of your favourite characters, where everyone is instantly recognisable, but redesigned in innovative new ways for the comics and animated shorts and films.

Shea Fontana’s writing is tight and fluid but still accessible for the younger reader–conveying ideas they may not have heard of before (“fire needs oxygen!” is a concept that’s dealt with in the aftermath of the explosion) and older readers can read by themselves, whilst parents have enough dialogue and SFX balloons to read out loud to their younger DC fans, encouraging them to follow along with the bright visuals that Date with Disaster offers.

One of the things I love most about DC Super Hero Girls: Date with Disaster is that it focuses on showcasing all of the girls’ different strengths, and shows them working together to overcome their problems throughout the graphic novel. Lois Lane may not be a superhero but she’s portrayed as an intelligent reporter who’s underestimated by the older characters around her, and Batgirl’s scientific knowledge plays well off of, say, Supergirl’s strength and Poison Ivy’s botanical knowledge. It’s a great message to send to younger readers: everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, but teaming up means that you can bring out the best in one another.

Date with Disaster also makes a fantastic jumping-on point for readers new to the series. All you need to know is that these are re-imaginings of the characters (I’m quite bored of long-time DC fans asking why Harley Quinn is not a villain in DC Super Hero Girls!) and then you’re good to go. The school setting also adds a layer of familiarity for younger readers who may not have read DC comics before, as they can see elements of their own schoolwork and friends within the pages.

Overall, Date with Disaster is a fantastic continuation of the DC Super Hero Girls franchise, one that continues to promote ideas of optimism and teamwork in the face of adversity.

A review copy of DC Super Hero Girls: Date with Disaster was provided for the purposes of this article, courtesy of DC Comics. DC Super Hero Girls: Dste with Disaster is available from the 6th of February 2018, at your local comic book stores as well as online retailers such as Amazon.