Capstone’s Comic Chapter Books series feature DC Comics characters and are intended for early independent readers who still want some pictures to go along with their words. These Superman chapter books both include 12 pages of comic book art to help supplement the story.
In Lex Luthor’s Power Grab!, Lex Luthor, one of Superman’s most famous nemeses, has decided that it is finally time to take Superman out once and for all. In order to do this he enlists the help of the super villain Parasite. Parasite is an energy stealing creature that craves Superman’s power. Lex Luthor frees Parasite from jail in his bid to take Superman down. But there is more to the man of steel then his superhuman powers and he proves the old adage “you get by with a little help from your friends.” Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen play important supporting roles in the plot of the book as they chase down leads to a related crime involving illegal weapons smuggling in Metropolis.
In The Dark Side of Apokolips, we are immediately dropped into the action as Superman rescues a helicopter from certain disaster. The pilot of the unfortunate craft then informs Superman that he was knocked out of the sky by monsters or maybe aliens. It turns out, it is a little bit of both as the skies of Metropolis are filled with Parademons from the planet Apokolips. Superman immediately goes into action and meets the target of Darkseid’s wrath, Atheena. Atheena is the leader of a small rebellion taking place on Apokolips and she has come to Earth to convince Superman to help her get her people to safety and out of Darkseid’s clutches. Superman agrees and returns to Apokolips with Atheena where they are immediately thrown into battle.
The highlight of this series is definitely the 12 pages of comic art that is provided by Luciano Vecchio in both volumes. His art takes a lot of inspiration from Bruce Timm’s Superman the Animated Series in style, colors, and tone, from Lex Luthor’s devious smirk to Superman’s super powered heroics.
Unfortunately, this series of Superman books suffers from the usual problems that superhero books for kids often suffer from: clunky sentence structure and bland dialogue. However, they are full of fast-paced action and will be of interest for kids who enjoy reading about superheroes. There isn’t a lot here for anyone beyond the target audience, but I can see these books being really popular with young superhero enthusiasts looking to get their next comic book fix.
Overall, while these books may not be universally loved by adults, kids will enjoy the quick pace and comic pages. They can also be used as a teaching tool for helping kids to learn how to follow comic art and how to switch back and forth from regular text to text boxes.
Comic Chapter Books: Superman: Lex Luthor’s Power Grab!
by Louise Simonson
Art by Luciano Vecchio
ISBN:9781496505088
Capstone, 2015
Publisher Age Rating: Kids (6-8)
Comic Chapter Books: Superman: The Dark Side of Apokolips
by Laurie S. Sutton
Art by Luciano Vecchio
ISBN: 9781496505095
Capstone, 2015
Publisher Age Rating: Kids (6-8)
