Study Hall of Justice

December 1, 2015
Young students with oddly familiar names team up to investigate the nefarious agenda of their school's administration in this batty series opener. In fact, hardly has Bruce Wayne hung a couple of bats in his new locker at Gotham City's exclusive Ducard Academy than glimpses of lurking ninjas, an encounter with cream-pie-bearing bully Joe Kerr, and other signs raise his suspicion that something's not right. With plenty of help from exchange student Diana Prince and hayseed classmate Clark Kent, he does indeed expose a scheme to recruit young villains--explained in detail by principal Ra's Al Ghul--before he escapes in the wake of a climactic ninja battle. Along the way Bruce and company try out for extracurricular activities ("Boys' sports: All pain, some gain! To sign up, see Coach Zod"), attend classes taught by the likes of Alice in Wonderland-obsessed Jervis Tetch, and adopt distinctive Halloween costumes for the climactic dust-up. Spun out in a mix of journal entries, chat transcripts, screenshots, and panels of comic art as loose as the plotline, the tale hurtles its inconclusive way to a close that leaves Bruce looking forward to the bats, shadows, and mysteries of summer camp. Stay tuned. Not much more than a vehicle created to spotlight middle school versions of DC Comics heroes and baddies, but fans, at least, will enjoy catching the references. (Graphic fantasy. 9-11)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 3-5-Aspiring young detective Bruce Wayne has been recruited for Ducard Academy and soon realizes that something fishy is going on. His fellow classmates are a bunch of clowns and bullies who have no desire to better their formal education; they are more interested in petty crimes and world domination. Luckily, Bruce finds two classmates who similarly are not fitting in at the Academy. Clark is a strange boy from a farm in Smallville. Diana Prince comes from a small exotic island on the other side of the world. If the three of them can work together, they might be able to figure out who is really running Ducard Academy and why the curriculum is so bizarre. They just have to watch out for the school's vigilant central computer system/librarian and the ninjas who always seem to be in the shadows. This graphic novel hybrid will likely find an engaged audience with young Marvel superhero fans who, perhaps, are not quite ready for more involved comics. Die-hard fans, however, will have trouble reconciling this alternate history with the traditional backstories of the famous grown-up superheroes they have come to know. Reluctant readers will appreciate the spare text, graphic novel panels, and varied ephemera including chat scripts, school evaluation reports, maps, and emails. Though jam-packed with visual and text elements, the story is easy to follow. VERDICT A supplemental purchase for collections in need of high-interest hybrid format titles.-Carol Hirsche, Barnett Elementary, Payson, UT

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
Grades 3-6 Bruce Wayne is excited to start at his new school, Ducard Academy, but on his first day, he's puzzled. He expected to find great facilities and excellent faculty, but instead he discovers rowdy, clown-faced classmates; weird instructors promoting mad science and world domination; and . . . ninjas? With the help of his surprisingly strong new friends, Clark and Diana, Bruce digs into Ducard's secret files to uncover the identity of their shadowy principal, whom no one has ever seen. But just like the grown-up Justice League, Bruce, Clark, and Diana don't always get along. Fridolfs and Nguyen's comic-book panels are interspersed with journal entries, flyers, surveillance photos, and other ephemera, which together offer neat visual clues so readers can easily follow along with Bruce's investigations, and Nguyen's watercolor figures are a nice change from typical comic-book-style art. Though some jokes require an understanding of Batman's extensive roster of supervillains, most are perfectly suited to the middle-grade audience. Though Bruce deems this case closed, there are, happily, more mysteries on the horizon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
In this series-opener, new kid Bruce Wayne and his friends investigate their school's many oddities: Why does the theater teacher sweat mud? Why does the choir teacher's scream shatter glass? Smudgy black-and-white panel illustrations are interspersed with documentary evidence (report cards, incident reports, etc.) that reinforce the gumshoe tone, and the frequent comics callouts complement the energetic stand-alone plot.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)