From the highly successful multimedia pop culture property comes DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: DATE WITH DISASTER!, starring one of its most popular characters, Batgirl.
Catwoman is out alone on the prowl one night when KABOOM--an explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs rouses the other girls from their slumber. Star students Batgirl and Lois Lane both know the lab incident is fishy, and they meet later to share clues. But nothing could've prepared Batgirl for what they see next--Batgirl's dad on a date!
Batgirl is grossed out until her friends convince her Dads get lonely, too. And with the school dance coming up and everyone pairing off--heck, even Principal Waller has a date with a guy named Deadshot--maybe it'll be okay just this once. The girls place a personal ad for Commissioner Gordon while they delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the explosion, but they're about to discover more than who is behind the attack on S.T.A.R. Labs. Could it be that posting an ad looking for dates for the commissioner is like advertising catnip for criminals?
DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: DATE WITH DISASTER! continues to develop the relationships forged in DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: FINALS CRISIS, HITS AND MYTHS, SUMMER OLYMPUS, PAST TIMES AT SUPER HERO HIGH and OUT OF THE BOTTLE. Written by Shea Fontana, this Batgirl-centric story is perfect for girls ages 6-12.
The DC Super Hero Girls line is an exciting new universe of super-heroic storytelling that help .
Shea Fontana is a writer for film, television and graphic novels. Her credits include developing and writing the DC Super Hero Girls animated shorts, TV specials, movies and graphic novels; Polly Pocket (developed and story editor), Doc McStuffins, The 7D, Whisker Haven Tales with the Palace Pets (wrote show bible and first season), Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (story editor), the new Muppet Babies series; two Disney on Ice shows where she wrote new material for the worlds of Mickey Mouse, Inside Out, Disney Princesses, Finding Dori, Frozen, and other Disney and Pixar properties; and the feature film, Crowning Jules. She has also written for top comic titles including Justice League, Wonder Woman, Batman: Overdrive (coming 2019), Catwoman/Looney Tunes, and contributed anthology pieces starring Deathstroke and Teen Titans.
Her DC Super Hero Girls graphic novels have been New York Times Best Sellers. Her debut graphic novel, Finals Crisis, was honored with Diamond's 2016 Gem Award for Best All-Ages Graphic Novel, and DC Super Hero Girls: Past Times at Super Hero High won the 2017 Gem Award for Best All-Ages Graphic Novel as well as the Comixology Reader's Pick award for Best All-Ages Graphic Novel of 2017. DC Super Hero Girls won the 2018 Ringo Award for Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel. She was listed 61st on Bleeding Cool’s Power List of Comics for 2018. The London Free Press declared her “not afraid to be corny,” which is an accurate assessment of her persona both on and off the page.
She lives in sunny Los Angeles where she enjoys hiking, hanging out with her beagle, Ziggy, and changing her hair color. Using the secret identity “Shea Q. Off,” Shea played roller derby until her angry knees forced her into early retirement.
This one-shot shows Batgirl and Cheshire training before they get called to help with an explosion at STAR Labs. The girls manage to get everyone out and Barbara sees her dad on a date.
I enjoyed this comic. Thought it was cool that all the DC ladies were able to attend high school together. Glad they were able to get everyone out. Wonder what Bab's is going to say about her father's date?
I'm in love with the idea of this series. Admittedly, I even own a Harley Quinn Super Hero Girls doll. I think it's a fun way to make classic DC Comic book characters more approachable to a wider audience. Even though it's recommended audience is girls aged 6-12, I think it's fun enough for any gender of the same age group, and it's perfect for those comic book fans who now have kids of their own that they want to share in this adventure.
The artwork of this comic book is super fun. It's very nostalgic and childlike, which is fitting. It's like a vivid cartoon. I like the design of these characters in a school aged setting.
The story arc for this particular book in the series was okay. I think it could have been done a bit better, a bit more organized. There seemed to be a lot going on that was flushed out rather quickly, making it seem rushed and forced in some places.
But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment, and would definitely pick up the next one. It's perfect for kids who love super heroes (or super villains- I don't judge!) but who aren't quite old enough for some of the darkness that appears in so many great DC comics.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you.
This one is probably tied with Finals Crisis as my favorite DCSHG book. It contains a lying government official who thinks he has the power to do anything he wants in the interest of “safety” and the ethics of accurate reporting in journalism in order to create an informed citizenry... plus Giant Turtle Boy and a school dance and Jim Gordon online dating AND MY GIRL LOIS LANE? What’s not to love?!
My local Fire Station held a Noon Year's Day celebration back on Dec 31 for kids to come have fun midday and they had a stack of these for everyone to take.
It got lost around the house for a few months but I recently found it again and finally read it to my almost-5-year-old at bedtime tonight.
It's apparently one chapter from the Date with Disaster graphic novel but she seemed to enjoy the story (what little there is in this tiny half-story). I had to often remind her I was reading it with her when she'd point at later panels, asking who people were, but she eventually started paying attention and only asking questions after we finished a 2-page spread.
I am curious what the whole Ivy-Dr. Faulkner secret is so maybe I'll see if that graphic novel is available through Libby or my library or something...
I bought this on a whim because it looked cute and most of all, Lois Lane had an arc! Even better—it was a journalism arc! I loved seeing her featured as an integral character to the story. Despite the sexism thrown her way, she used her intrepid reporting skills and support from her superhero friends to expose the truth. Of course there were other shenanigans going on but the reason why I enjoyed this story so much is because it had Lois taking down the bad guys with her most powerful tool, the written word. The arc was a great reminder of what good journalism can do when used effectively and with responsibility. Plus, seeing Lois as a reporter with her iconic drive for the truth is always fun for me. Though the target audience is for young girls, I think those who are older can also appreciate the friendship and message found in Date with Disaster.
This is a FREE COMIC BOOK DAY freebie we picked up this year. While the art is adorable, colourful and they try really hard to fit in EVERY SINGLE FEMALE CHARACTER in the DC world, this was quite awful.
Bland. Boring. The story goes nowhere.
I'm all for girl-oriented superhero stories in every format--hell, I welcome it--but this is not how to do it. It's all style and no substance. They even threw in Lois Lane! I mean, seriously? It made no sense.
This is an obvious way of getting girls to buy their toys, rather than giving them good solid comic books to get lost in.
I sure hope this is so flimsy because it's just a taster. Otherwise, ugh.
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway!
4 Stars
To be honest, a lot of my review for Batgirl At Superhero High could apply to this graphic novel volume -I like the idea of these books, making superheroes for girls too, not just books. Encouraging reading with the books etc. Its pretty cheesy and dumbed down, but it is a lower middle grade book, so I expected as much. I do think pretween girls, which its intended for, will enjoy it if they enjoy superhero stories at all.
In the beginning, it was pretty clear this was a sequel/companion, as previous events are recapped, but it didn’t impair the story at all past the initial “wait what” moment. At certain times, the characters seemed to act a bit older than their supposed ages, and it through me off when hearing a familiar DC comic name that was characterized differently, so get used to the idea of “alternate DC universe with every hero and villain a 12 year old in superhero boarding school”. -
Which makes sense, since the TV show, novels, and graphic novels are all the same continued universe - through I did think reading the entire thing in order is necessary, as this is the sixth graphic novel and I haven't read any of the others. Something I really liked was the little "roll call" section in the beginning naming all the characters and their powers, further letting you pick up this volume without knowing the previous ones.
The artwork is really nicely done - though with all the loud colors, you can tell this is definitely meant for younger readers. The plot is a little simple, but fun overall. I like how they portrayed the girls dealing with and standing up to sexism, specifically when the mayor is letting Jimmy Olsen cover a story he claimed was too dangerous for Lois Lane, etc. A lot of puns were in the dialogue - if thats something you really like or dislike.
The romances were cute, Barbara freaking out about her dad dating, Harley playing matchmaker, and Steve Trevor flirting with Diana.
I thought it was cute overall, a good read if you like this sort of thing.
With the Giveaway, I also received DC Essentials 2018. Its a little shopping catalogue of all the DC volumes coming out this year - with some sections detailing TV adaptations and stuff too which I really enjoyed. I thought it was a cute edition.
I read this graphic novel with my daughters, who were again taken in by the adventures of their favourite DC Super Hero Girls and therefore enjoyed the story.
Date with Disaster! was a great story, although it still had me questioning various parts. I fully enjoyed Batgirl's horror at seeing her Dad, Commissioner Gordon, on a date, then trying to remedy the situation by organising a dating profile for him, after being told that dads get lonely too. Harley is going all out trying to organise the school dance, which also means setting up dates for all her friends.
Meanwhile, Catwoman spies trouble afoot at S.T.A.R. Labs when an explosion interrupts her nightly prowling. Batgirl and Lois Lane decide not to buy into the story that the Mayor is trying to sell and go on an all out investigation to try and figure out what is happening. Lois Lane's bigger role and her introduction to the Daily Planet is great to see; and we'll hopefully see more of it in future graphic novels.
In the end, the Superhero Girls do what they do best and save the day. Then they get to kick up their heels and party... with Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor finally expressing their feelings for each other (which made my girls giggle).
A great book for the target audience... I still enjoyed it, even with my own questioning about certain incidents in the story. Looking forward to the next one!
There’s nothing that I love more than an awesome and positive display of girl power. In a world bogged down with male heroes, its so refreshing to see the ladies of DC Comics take the much deserved spotlight. Not only do the DC Super Hero Girls always save the day, but they never fail to prove that the super-villains should never underestimate them.
Shea Fontana’s sixth installment of the DC Super Hero Girls graphic novel series is packed full of Pow! as the girls of Super Hero High try to plan a school dance, find a date for Commissioner Gordon, and track down the mystery behind an explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs. The story is centered around Batgirl and Lois Lane as they investigate, but features favorites, like Wonder Woman, Bumblebee, and Harley Quinn. While the hi-jinx at S.T.A.R. Labs are solved a little too quickly, the story stays true to the series’ themes of friendship, truth, and the super hero way.
Date with Disaster! is a great graphic novel for younger fans who aren’t ready for the gritty darkness of other DC titles. The art style brings out the colorful and fun style of the story. The characters are relatable, positive role models and almost real in their teenage antics (think Harley Quinn, Matchmaker). The storytelling stays very consistent with the other DC Super Hero Girls titles, both novel and comic, so long time fans and new readers alike will enjoy the adventure.
4/5 Stars.
I received a free e-ARC of DC Super Hero Girls: Date with Disaster! from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t know why I keep giving these comics a chance. They are generally always disappointingly treacly.
Part of me I guess is glad that these powerful women are being given a bigger stage. But when it comes down to this watered down grrl power it reeks of pandering.
Well, hopefully this is the last of them.
If generative A.I. ever writes comic books, they will strongly resemble this. Or has it already happened?
And how did Poison Ivy get to be on the hero team? Much less Harley.
”Hold on there, little lady. This build’s Off-limits”.
I’m gonna try out ‘Hold on there little lady’ and see how it flys….
In case you’re wondering (and I was): “The center of the circle will be the location of your seismograph. The epicenter of the earthquake is somewhere on the edge of that circle.”
I do appreciate other superhero characters showing up in the background. But Captain Carrot was a real surprise! I’m definitely a fan, but I thought he (and the Zoo Crew) had been 86’d a long time ago!
Well, this was just awful. Cliche, saccharine, unoriginal, cheesy in a bad way. I’m certainly not the audience though I think it’s a real disservice to whoever is the audience.
For what it’s worth I’m giving this 1 star and donating it right away.
I'm reading the 32 page 'Free Comic Book Day' version which is just 1 chapter of the book. Seems to be the first chapter as far as I can tell.
1. I'm being generous and giving it 3 stars because even though it really isn't my kind of book, I believe it manages to satisfy all the requirements of the demographic it is aimed at. That is teenaged girls. So good for them.
It's got cutesy looking teenage girl superheros with big watery eyes and lipstick lips and etc. It hits the cute factor right on.
As far as the story goes, it's Cartoon Network stuff. Well done again, I guess....?
2. Favorite Moment:
It's the middle of the night. An explosion happens. The alarm goes out. All the Superhero Girls respond to the call, jumping into action. Except Harley Quinn who smashes her phone with her hammer and shouts: "Leave me alone! I'm sleeping!" And she goes back to sleep. I'm with HQ on this one. Zzzzzzz...
3. Complaints:
All the superhero girls lips look exactly the same.
All their expressions looked computer generated. Lol.
4. Big Complaint:
Commissioner Gordon or 'Dad!' as they call him in the book. He looks just like the real life Stan Lee! It was confusing!
BTW
Supergirl looks great in red sneakers! Seriously. Great design choice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This has been on my to-read list for a bit now, and given that I'm stuck in bed sick, I finally had time to give it a read.
What's so wonderful about the DC Super Hero Girls series is that it presents fun and relatable heroes for the younger demographic to look up to. The ability to tell stories about overcoming difficult situations, accepting who you are, all while keeping a light hearted tone is important and that's where this book succeeds. There are some matters that could be relatively dark, and yet, it's not presented in a scary matter because it understands its audience. These characters behave like actual teenagers. They know their limitations, they're awkward, they screw up, but most importantly, they learn to accept their faults.
I'm baffled as to why it has taken me so long to check out these books, as I've been excited ever since it was announced DC was doing a Super Hero Girls line focusing on their popular heroines, but I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. And more importantly? I can't wait to check out further installments.
With wonderful art and a fun, thrilling story, Date with Disaster! is easily worth a read for DC Comics fans.
While I did not care for the basic premise of the DC SuperHero Girls stories, if you sit back and accept them as kind of weird alternate-world comics, they're actually good. In this case, Shea Fontana has turned in a story with so many goofy twists and turns that a classic Jimmy Olsen moment actually seems normal. [It was a riff on Jimmy Olsen #53, if you want to look it up and snort milk out of your nose...] Batgirl tries to find someone for her father to date, Harley Quinn tries to organize a dance, and they all investigate a strange explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs, while the mayor of Metropolis acts like an idiot. Amazingly, that all works really well as a story, although I could have done without a few of the weirder bits of humor, like Katana offering to do ice sculpture with her sword. Really? Otherwise, I would recommend this to readers who want a fun adventure story, but are somewhat new to comics and graphic novels.
This is another great story about the DC Super Hero Girls!
One of the great things about this book is that it featured some non-superhero characters along with the Super Hero Girls. Lois Lane and Commissioner Gordon played an important part in this story. They don’t have super powers so they had to use their intelligence to help the Super Hero Girls.
I love how the Super Hero Girls are a younger version of their adult counterparts. My favourite is Harley Quinn, and she’s so funny in this story. When everyone gets the alert on their alarm to wake up and get to work, most of the girls get up, but Harley whacks her alarm with her mallet and goes back to sleep. She brings a lot of humour to this story.
I loved this book! It’s great DC Super Hero Girls fans of all ages.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
ARC via Netgalley. I haven't read any of the other Super Hero Girls books, but this one was ADORABLE. Very kid-friendly, but a fun plot, and the art is a lovely, clean style with engaging colors. I will say that I felt there was a missed opportunity to give Harley and Ivy a romantic moment on a par with Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor's (there's a school dance that Harley is trying to get people dates for, Supergirl is dismayed that Harley didn't have time to find a date for herself, Harley says she doesn't need a date so long as she has Ivy; "Ivy is my date" would have worked just as well, would have required zero art changes, and would have meant a lot) but that minor quibble aside, there was a lot of very sweet backstory with Ivy and Harley and just in general I enjoyed the book a lot.
The every-kid pathos of the previous books in the series doesn't figure as large in this one but it's an interesting step towards what makes someone a superhero rather than a super villain, a big question in a series where canonically ambiguous (though mostly evil) characters like Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are young and relatively innocent. More in terms of how young kids might enjoy it: it's another action-packed story with lots of laughs thrown in. My daughter falls well below the target age for these and she was still mesmerized, I think we re-read the chapter on Ivy's backstory at least 5 times.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was really cute. Great way to get young kids into DC comics in a fun way and give them good role models to look up to. This wasn't the first novel in the series, so I was a little confused by some of it, as weird as that is to say about a kids book. Mostly, I was just surprised that DC villains seemed to be friends with the heroes? And everyone saved the day together? Which is actually cool, now that I type it out. It was just weird to see Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy being good guys. Although I did love the heavily implied romantic relationship between them. That was cute!
Like I said, very cute. I'd recommend this for pretty young readers, maybe between 6-10 depending on their reading ability.
I received a copy of this book to preview from NetGalley.
I have read DC Superhero books in the past and found them clever and entertaining. This one however felt a little scattered and forced. Maybe there are too many characters now and so to have them all interject throughout the book made it a little harder to follow. I liked Ivy's storyline and the introduction of STAR Labs---which is a big feature in the Flash universe. I will still continue to follow this series and buy them for my library because they will get checked out.
***I was provided this ARC by Netgalley for an honest review***
The graphics were really cute and the girls were adorable but the storyline was just blah. I lost focus several times and did not want to finish the story. I have never really read comics before and this one did not inspire me to start. Tha being said I do believe that young girls would like it and could relate to the characters and the issues in the story. I would recommend this story to my niece to read.
*thank you to Netgalley and DC Entertainment for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
4 stars.
Such a fun read. This will appeal to younger girls. I found the story plot interesting enough to hold my attention. I really enjoyed seeing all my favourite female superhero characters again. Girls need positive role models and I think these characters do a great job of that. The illustrations are really quite good and colourful.
This title comes of much better than the rest of the series. The girls are not as whiny, and don’t worry as much about “superhero lines”. They get into the action of saving Metropolis and it works. This time we get introduced to new characters, and learn how Ivy gained her powers. There are a few different lessons in this volume, and it made for a nice and entertaining read.
Another cute additon to the the DC Super Hero Girls collection. Love the focus on batgirl (as she is my personal favorite). However, I think they could have utilized the side characters a little more this time around. Do like that catwoman finally had a speaking role in this. If you are someone who is all about "that's not the original origin!" this is not for you. Overall: sweet and fun.
One thing I both like and don't like about this series is the ensemble cast - I love seeing appearances from so many different characters, but it can also make focusing in on certain stories difficult. That was definitely the case here with Ivy, so while I appreciated her backstory, it could have been its own book separate from everything else.
Fontana does it again with DC Super Hero Girls: Date with Disaster. The graphic novel is quick and easy to read and the different dates set up throughout the book help move the story along. We love DC Super Hero Girls in our house, so this book was an easy win!
I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I adore this series. The characters are fantastic, the drawing style is so cute and the plot is always interesting and action-packed. Absolutely fantastic.
I appreciated that Catwoman made a bigger appearance in this. Nothing particularly noteworthy here, but the kids continue to enjoy these ladies' adventures.