Written by Derek Fridolfs & Illustrated by Pamela Lovas and Shane Clester
SUMMARY:
Published by Scholastic Inc. and DC Comics in 2019, this 176-page adventure re-imagines Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman as middle schoolers at Gotham City’s new Hero Prep Academy.
Clark Kent’s journal entries help narrate the storyline, which extends the first four months of the school year. Re-launching their in-house detective club as ‘The Justice Squad,’ Bruce, Diana, & Clark add Barry Allen, Victor Stone, Oliver Queen, Zatanna Zatara, & Arthur Curry to their gang. New faces include: student Lois Lane (as Clark’s cohort at the school newspaper); Principal James Gordon; and several teachers and students readily familiar to DC Comics fans. A mysterious spying ‘Eye’ is generating paranoia at the school and evidently sabotaging projects for the annual Science Fair. Yet, Diana, Clark, & Bruce can’t let growing rifts within their inner circle keep them from exposing the unexpected truth and saving the Science Fair in time.
Note: This title is available in both hardcover and paperback formats.
REVIEW:
Spoofing Batman’s history of compiling surveillance files against his own friends, Science Fair Crisis continues Super Hero Society’s knack of assimilating DC’s super-characters into a middle school setting. Noticeably, there isn’t much humor this time – i.e. some reliable banter between Bruce and a droll Alfred would have been appreciated. By focusing his plot solely at school, writer Derek Fridolfs compensates with a well-played script, particularly neat surprises near the end.
Fans will appreciate hints at the series’ ongoing continuity, such as Clark reminding Lois that they had secretly worked together on the Fort Solitude case, and a recap of young Bruce’s past Bat-sleuthing during a scolding in the principal’s office. Overall, Fridolfs’ homage delivers plenty of charm — even the kids’ science fair projects make perfect sense.
Visually, the characters aren’t as endearing as how Dustin Nguyen had depicted them, but co-illustrators Pamela Lovas & Shane Clester still do a solid job. It’s easy to tell who’s who — their style re-imagines the kids as slightly older versions of Nguyen’s designs. The bottom line is that fans won’t be disappointed with the Science Fair Crisis.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
As with the previous books, the final page reprints brief bios on the creative team.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
