Comic Book Review: Metropolis Grove by Drew Brockington
Sonia grew up in the city of Metropolis, famous for the superhero Superman. She’s a huge fan, and even saw him fly by once. Her family relocates to the sleepy suburb of Metropolis Grove on the first day of summer vacation. There she meets Alexis “call me Alex” and Duncan, the only two other kids on the block. They are luckily her age (all starting sixth grade in the fall) and friendly, inviting her to build a fort in the woods with them.
However, Duncan doesn’t believe in Superman. He has never seen Superman himself, and is pretty sure the hero is made up for tourism. Even Sonia’s eyewitness account doesn’t move him, which causes some friction.
Then the kids find a stone fort deep in the woods, a fort inhabited by someone who seems obsessed with Superman memorabilia and has great strength. Sonia convinces herself that it’s Superman’s secret hideout. The other kids are unconvinced, so their own tree fort is concentrated on for a while.
Eventually, Sonia meets the inhabitant of the stone fort, but is she letting her fandom of Superman cloud her vision?
This children’s graphic novel is about friendship, both the trio of Alex, Duncan and Sonia, as well as Sonia’s friendship with the reclusive stranger, who turns out to be flawed Superman clone Bizarro. Bizarro considers himself a hero, but causes a lot of damage while trying to help people. Sonia tries to assist him in becoming more competent.
The friendships don’t run smoothly. Sonia and Duncan quarrel several times, and Alex blurts out a secret at school that causes problems. But in the end, the trio makes up, and Bizarro finds a new place to live.
Parents are depicted as well-meaning, but sometimes embarrassing.
The art is cartoony (by the same fellow as Catstronauts and it’s easy to tell the characters apart. (It helps that they’re ethnically varied, but this is shown, not mentioned in dialogue.) Older readers will be able to enjoy some internet memes that are referenced.
Content note: Bizarro is bullied when the public finds out he’s not actually Superman. Alex and Duncan get some milder teasing. This book should be okay for fourth-graders on up.
Overall: A fun light read for kids and their parents. Teens might find it a bit too “kiddie” for their tastes.
