Lois Lane, Harley Quinn, and Static get younger in DC's young adult line
DC announces more YA graphic novels, including Static
DC continues to expand its young adult graphic novel offerings with three new titles next spring. Like past titles from DC's YA line, these will feature new perspectives on classic characters – and this time, Lois Lane, Harleen Quinzel, and Static AKA Virgil Hawkins will take center stage.
Girl Taking Over: A Lois Story, written by Sarah Kuhn with art by Arielle Jovellanos, follows teenage Lois as she takes on a summer internship in the big city. Then she uncovers a major scandal and has to team up with someone she never expected, which sends her on a journey of self-discovery that may mean she ends up the focus of a scandal all her own. Lois has worked hard to get where she is, but there's no guarantee her life won't blow up at any moment, which is scary.
Girl Taking Over goes on sale April 4, 2023.
Then writer Melissa Marr and artist Jenn St-Onge will team up for The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley, which follows a young Harleen Quinzel as she and her girlfriend, Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy in the DCU), sign up for a clinical research trial. Harleen has two goals: get some extra cash and get her anxiety under control. Unfortunately, what she ends up with is an increasingly spotty memory and mementos from someone she's never met named Jack.
In a Jekyll and Hyde-style tale, Harleen figures out she's sharing her life with Harley, who's her absolute opposite. But maybe she doesn't have to be. Maybe Harleen can embody Harley's anarchic qualities and simply not get caught in the process.
The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley goes on sale May 2, 2023.
Following on the heels of Lois and Harley, Milestone's most popular superhero, Static, will make his graphic novel debut in Static: Up All Night. Writer Lamar Giles and artist Paris Alleyne team up to follow young Virgil Hawkins after he goes through a terrible breakup. His best friend Richie suggests they go to a music festival in Dakota to take Virgil's mind off of his ex, but lo and behold, the ex is at the festival, so the plan backfires.
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From there, things get increasingly wild. Static: Up All Night takes place all in a single night – hence the title – and features all kinds of antics, including supervillains and a size-changing kleptomaniac. Familiar characters from the Dakotaverse and the Static Shock animated series will make cameos.
Static: Up All Night goes on sale June 6, 2023.
DC's Graphic Novels for Young Adults launched in January 2020 and has since added over two dozen titles to its roster.
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Samantha Puc (she/they) is an editor at Newsarama and an avid comics fan. Their writing has been featured on Refinery29, Bitch Media, them., The Beat, The Mary Sue, and elsewhere. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction at The New School.