DC has announced a number of additions to its line of YA graphic novels, all rated for ages 13-17.
Wonder Woman: The Adventures of Young Diana, by Jordie Bellaire and Paulina Ganucheau, is not an original graphic novel but a collection of stories about Diana’s early years on the island of Themyscira, some of them backup stories that were previously collected in a special issue (see “DC’s Wonder Woman Plans”). Bored with her high status and her life on an island many people regard as a paradise, young Diana goes looking for adventure and finds it in a quest for some missing ancient texts. The 192-page paperback collects stories from Wonder Woman #770-779 and #785-796 and the Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular and will go on sale on August 6, 2024, with an MSRP of $16.99.
This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story, by Julio Anta, Jacoby Salcedo, and Francesco Segala, is an original graphic novel set in El Paso, Texas, where high schooler Jaime Reyes (a.k.a. Blue Beetle) finds himself and his friends in the center of the increasingly acrimonious currents of public opinion and private resentment about the border and the status of immigrants. Things get even weirder when Jaime finds a strange artifact and starts having dreams that suggest that the real threat is from aliens from outer space. The 208-page paperback will go on sale on October 1, 2024, with an MSRP of $16.99.
Also in the works is a new volume in Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo’s Teen Titans original graphic novel series. Like the other books in the series, Teen Titans: Starfire will treat the main character as a real teenager whose superpowers are sometimes a mixed blessing. 2022’s Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven was one of the top 20 young-readers graphic novels sold through ComicHub in 2022 (see “Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels – Full Year 2022”), and in 2023, Teen Titans: Robin became the first DC title ever to break the BookScan Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels list (see “March 2023 Circana BookScan”). Teen Titans: Starfire will go on sale on July 2, 2024; the 208-page paperback will have an MSRP of $16.99.
Mark Russell and Benjamin Caldwell’s 2015 limited series Prez, the story of a teenage girl who becomes president and runs with it, was funny, biting, and prescient. With another election on the way, DC is repackaging it as a YA graphic novel. The original series was collected in a trade titled Prez, Vol. 1: Corndog in Chief and was one of YALSA’s top picks for the year (see “YALSA’s Top Ten Graphic Novels”). The new edition, Prez: Setting a Dangerous Precedent, includes the original six-issue series plus a bonus story by Russell and Caldwell, a short story from the 2016 Catwoman: Election Night one-shot (see “‘Prez’ Gets Send-Off in ‘Catwoman: Election Night’ #1”), and the original Prez Sneak Peek from the 2015 DC You initiative. The 184-page paperback will be released on June 4, 2024, with an MSRP of $16.99.
Finally, DC revealed three of its four Free Comic Book Day 2024 titles: Previews of the middle-grade graphic novel Barkham Asylum, by Yehudi Mercado (see “Exclusive Preview: ‘Barkham Asylum’ GN”) and the YA graphic novel Barda, by Ngozi Ukazu (see “Graphic Novel for DC”), plus a special FCBD issue of MAD Magazine.The fourth is described as the prelude to a major event, but no details were provided (see “Silver Sponsors for Free Comic Book Day 2024”).
Click Gallery below for covers and Teen Titans: Starfire preview!
Source: ICv2
