Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade #2 (of 6)

Well, here's a comic book that definitely isn't aimed at me.

But don't get me wrong - that's not a bad thing.

For too many years (make that decades) comic book companies haven't made more than a passing effort at creating comics for young readers. DC seems to be making a genuine effort at correcting that oversight with its line of DC Kids comics.

The line includes the Super Friends, Tiny Titans, Cartoon Network Action Pack, Scooby Doo and others.

If comic book companies are going to survive, they need to bring in new readers, and this line, which ties in to existing Warner Brothers properties, including cartoons and comic books, is a great place to start.

Which brings us to Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade. It's a different take on the story of the original character. Supergirl lived with her family in the Kryptonian city of Argo in another dimension - it was hurled there by the explosion that destroyed Krypton.

After she hides on a rocket being sent to Earth, Supergirl finds herself trapped in our dimension - but on the up side, she has superpowers. Her cousin Superman sets her up in a boarding school. The action in this comic is set almost entirely at school, where Supergirl is disguised as Linda Lee, though this time around she doesn't wear a wig - she wears glasses - of course, that means no one will ever realize that she looks exactly like Supergirl.

In this issue, she faces her ultimate foe - a popular (and evil) cheerleader!

The comic is written by Landry Q. Walker and drawn by Eric Jones, and while the plot is a bit rough in places, it's also fun and fast-paced. The art is, of course, cartoony (that's kind of the point), but also energetic and high-spirited.

I can't recommend it for older readers (and thus I can't give it more than an average grade), but I suspect kids will enjoy following Supergirl's down-to-Earth adventures.

Grade: C+