Did you know that the heroes and villains of the DC Universe have pets? Well, of course they do! And, lucky for readers, DC has released a fun new book spotlighting over 200 pets of our favorite super heroes and super villains. DC Super-Pets Character Encyclopedia will get readers up to speed on every furred, feathered or finned companion there is. We all know that Superman has Krypto, the Super-Dog, and Batman has Ace, the Bat-Hound, but did you know about Stinky – the tabby cat who patrols with Power Girl? And, what about Jumpa, the kanga who pals around with Wonder Woman? Don’t forget about the despicable villains, either – they need some furry love, too! Lex Luthor plots world domination with his iguana, Ignatius, and the Joker and Harley Quinn practice their jokes on their laughing hyenas, Crackers and Giggles. What a fun way to learn even more about DC’s roster of characters and the special animals in their lives!
The book is split into two sections – heroes and villains with detailed pages containing information about either 1 or more different pets, depending on the popularity of the character; in other words, the more well-known the character, the bigger the box his or her pet gets. Each informational box offers stats like species and birthplace as well as fun facts and known allies and foes. These little vignettes are full of fun jokes and facts written by Steve Korte’, a DC Comics archivist and editor of 75 Years of DC Comics. In addition to the page by page information provided, there are also size charts, a great index, and a Bat Computer report on the Secret Histories of the DC Super-Pets. The illustrations, I’m happy to say, are done by Art Baltazar, who also illustrates the DC Super-Pets early readers/comic books for younger readers. Baltazar, the Eisner award willing illustrator of Tiny Titans, gives readers colorful and whimsical illustrations that are perfect for this encyclopedia. Every hero, villain, and their pets are cartoonishly rendered in full, vibrant colors. Art’s style is very unique and makes even the most nefarious villain or pet look friendly and approachable. The illustrations are just really cute and funny, and readers of all ages will enjoy going through this book to learn about their favorites as well as those characters they don’t know. Reading this informative encyclopedia is definitely an amusing and quirky way to become an expert on all the DC super-pets.
DC Super-Pets! Character Encyclopedia
by Steve Korte’
Art by Art Baltazar
ISBN: 9781479520305
Capstone, DC Comics, 2013
