Dear DC super-villains

Gr 3--6--Northrop follows up his acclaimed Dear Justice League, a volume comprised of letters from fictional children asking advice from superheroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. It turns out that children of the DC universe have as many questions for the Legion of Doom as they did for the Justice League--like how can Catwoman be bested by Batman when he has no superpowers? Has the hilarious Harley Quinn ever considered trying her hand at stand-up comedy? And why hasn't Lex Luthor managed to discover a cure for baldness? The first eight chapters each feature a short story starring a DC supervillain, each of whom also responds to a fan letter. The story lines converge after Black Manta naively replies to his fan "Artie Fishman" (actually Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman) with details about the Legion's plan to liberate Lex Luthor from prison. In the final chapter, justice is served and the villains are incarcerated. While the DC supervillains are undeniably bad, their responses to the fan letters (and to readers) encourage kids to be confident and embrace their individuality. Both protagonists and background characters are diverse. The stylized, dynamic artwork features visual gags that will have children giggling, with creative panel work that will introduce readers to the language of comics. VERDICT Fans of Northrop's earlier edition will adore this clever and funny sequel. Recommended for juvenile collections; a strong gateway read to get kids interested in both comics and the DC universe.--Tammy Ivins, Univ. of North Carolina at Wilmington

Members of the Legion of Doom answer their emails. Harley Quinn, Black Manta, Lex Luthor, Katana, and more correspond with curious fans in this middle-grade graphic novel. After performing a daredevil museum heist in Cairo, Catwoman answers a question from a curious fan about how it is that Batman keeps getting the better of her (laser pointers, but she is sure not going to admit that). Giganta plucks an atomic payload from a truck she crushes before helping a young beanpole see the advantage of unusual height. And so on. This sequel to Dear Justice League (2019) improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way, starting with a poppier color palette that better suits these larger-than-life villains. There's also more connective tissue among the villains' vignettes, embracing their peculiar clubhouse energy. The book still contains a few too many of these vignettes, though: The format's repetitive nature can't quite be shaken. However, a larger narrative this time around concerning a master plot concocted by Harley Quinn gives the novel some semblance of a spine. Some readers may find themselves speed-reading through the panels of villains sitting down to read the letters to get back to the action. The characters are well designed, Peter's colors are terrific, and the panels are reasonably propulsive. Black Manta and Katana help to diversify the mostly White humanoid villains, and there is diversity among their correspondents, including one kid who uses a wheelchair. DC delivers another charmer. (Graphic adventure. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.