Title: Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story
Author: Sarah Kuhn, Arielle Jovellanos (Illustrator)
Genres: Superhero, graphic novel
Pages: 208 pages
Publisher: DC comics
Review Copy: Borrowed
Availability: Available now
Summary: Can Lois Lane open herself up to friendship, romance, and being vulnerable in order to get the future that’s right for her? She might have to change her entire life plan to find out.
Ambitious small town girl Lois Lane tackles a summer in the big city with gusto, but a cavalcade of setbacks—including an annoying frenemy roommate, a beyond tedious internship at a suddenly corporatized website, and a boss who demotes her to coffee-fetching minion—threatens to derail her extremely detailed life plan. And, you know, her entire future.
When Lois uncovers a potentially explosive scandal, she must team up with the last person she’d expect to publish her own website for young women. And as Lois discovers who she really is and what she actually wants, she becomes embroiled in her own scandal that could destroy everything she’s worked so hard to create.
From beloved author, Sarah Kuhn (Shadow of the Batgirl, Heroine Complex ), and with expressive and lively art by Arielle Jovellanos, comes a charming YA story about the strength it takes to embrace the messiness of life.
Review: I’m a fan of Heroine Complex, so you can imagine how excited I was to read Shadow of the Batgirl back in 2020 (review here!) — Shadow of the Batgirl was just a ton of fun. So naturally, I had to read Girl Taking Over by Sarah Kuhn. Not just because I’m loving what DC Comics is doing in the YA graphic novel space, but because I’m a huge fan of Arielle Jovellanos’s art.
Lois Lane is having a bit of a moment right now, especially with the new cartoon out. So it was fun to get into spirit by reading this particular Lois Lane story. It’s a delightful, Asian American take on the scrappy teen reporter. Superman and Clark Kent are nowhere in sight, and the focus is solely on Lois Lane’s story and her beginnings.
Lois and her once upon a time childhood friend who’s not so friendly now discover that they’re roommates for the summer while they pursue their passions. Of course, their summers don’t go as planned, and the two Japanese American teens find themselves taking on injustice in their own unique ways to make their voices heard.
The art is colorful, high-energy, and so much fun. It goes hand-in-hand with Lois Lane’s story and I really hope Jovellanos illustrates more DC comics in the future. The story is fairly straightforward and, like superhero stories tend to, requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. But if you’re looking a fun, feel-good, inspirational story, this is it.
Get this wonderful graphic novel soon if you’re interested in Lois Lane’s story or just want a fun, hopeful YA graphic novel read for your summer.
Recommendation: Get it soon!