Perhaps I should not admit I read something like Superman’s Good Guy Gang by Rob Justus as it is, well, a bit on the less than mature side. This is not for the adult reader who likes a more sophisticated book, but if your child (or you) are a typical five to eight-year-old who has a slightly goofy sense of humor and likes superheroes then this is for you. So, in other words I will admit I read it and say I know there’s an audience out there.
And if you want to know the illustrations, they are fun illustrations and fast paced, as is the story, therefore keeping the reader engaged, and yes, you can judge this book pretty much by the cover. However, the internal illustrations are more detailed (but not a lot), and it is the color that pushes them along. We meet Superboy, um Man (though he is only 8), Green Lantern (around 8) and Hawkgirl (probably about the same). There is also Lex Luther (he’s only 6, which plays a part in Superman’s interaction with him). Justus gives the heroes the typical problems (fighting a giant robot, figuring out who is freezing all the puppies, and picking a superhero name for the group) with the usual results.
I knew that Rob Justus as an author sounded familiar, but was not sure why. That is until I saw that he writes about unicorns for a living and is the author of the Death & Sparkles series. Which I have enjoyed, but only read a few of (they do become a bit repetitive). Therefore, this Superman series (yes it does seem as there will be more adventures of the Super Good Guy Gang (even though Hawkgirl isn’t a guy) and there is there the loaded question of, “I wonder if there are other super kids like us?’ and a young person floating in the air on the last page, plus there is the clever note: To Be Continued added) is added to his list of goodies.
Read as an online reader, this book is due July 2025.