DC will publish a new early-reader graphic novel, You’re a Superhero!, by actor and writer Azie Tesfai, who played the character of the Guardian in the CW Supergirl series and also penned the Guardian’s first episode. The artist for the project is Penelope Rivera Gaylord, who was also the artist for Diana and the Hero’s Journey and has illustrated several superhero-themed Little Golden Books.
The daughter of Eritrean immigrants who lived in Ethiopia before coming to the U.S., Tesfai is the first actor of Eritrean and Ethiopian heritage to play a superhero on television. Her new graphic novel stars Mariam, an Ethiopian American girl who isn’t sure she has what it takes to be a superhero until she realizes that she is surrounded by extraordinary people who work hard to make her community work: the bus driver, the electrician, the building super. The book is aimed at early readers, ages 5 to 7, and will be released on November 3, 2026, as a 72-page hardcover with an MSRP of $12.99.
“I wrote this book because playing a superhero on television opened me up to a world filled with imagination, power, and possibility, one I hadn’t fully experienced when I was growing up,” Tesfai said in an interview that accompanied the announcement. “It made me think about how meaningful it would have been to meet these heroes at a younger age and to see myself reflected in that world from the very beginning. With this story, and as DC begins an exciting new chapter in the kids’ space, I wanted children to have that experience early on.”
“Telling the story through the lens of a young Ethiopian girl and her single mother allowed me to bring my culture into DC history for the first time, while inviting kids to meet some of the most iconic heroes, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batman, and The Flash, right alongside her,” she added.
DC began publishing original graphic novels for emerging readers in 2025 (see “DC Launches Early-Readers Graphic Novel Line”).
Source: ICv2
