The art and the color pallette was beautiful. The writing was stilted and the plot was slow. Willow was an interesting character, but I didn't like the open-end ending.

I thought this was so inventive. I loved that she took something as simple as the love of dogs and turned it into a superhero. I thought it was so clever. And I loved this variation of Riddler and Poison Ivy. It was great!

I have really petty complaints about this book, but they annoyed me so much that I nearly stopped reading. The first is with the art style and how drastically different Willow looks throughout the book. At the beginning she looks about 12 or 13, but in other parts, she looked more like late teens/early 20s. It wasn't until now when I read the blurb that I realized she's supposed to be a consistent 17. A lot of this has to do with the inconsistency of the texture and shape of her hair. Like I said, my complaints are petty.

The second complaint is that, somehow after a brief encounter with Killer Croc, suddenly Willow knows all about the evil things her family friend, Edward, is up to though Croc only says he doesn't like Edward. Since Croc is shown as a bad guy attacking people, it would make sense for Willow to not listen to any of his opinions, but apparently she takes his dislike as a sign that Edward is evil? I don't know. I flipped back and forth several times to figure out where Willow's opinion of Edward changed from "He's a weird dude" to "Oh no, he's evil, but I'm going to work for him anyway 'cause money!"

It's inconsistent throughout and Willow's power onset is odd. I did not like this very much at all.

Whistle felt very random and over the place, and the writing wasn’t the best. i liked seeing more into a different part of gotham city, but besides that i didn’t really like the story too much. the powers Willow gets felt very out of nowhere and as if the writer didn’t really know what to do in the story to keep it interesting (which in my opinion, it wasn’t that interesting in the first place). a positive though, is that i enjoyed the art and the dogs in the story were very cute. willow and lebowitz were sweet. i love dogs.

though i can see why someone else might like the story, it just wasn’t for me from the writing to the characters.

This comic really surprised me in such a great way! I really enjoyed this Gotham City new spin. The art work in this is phenomenal and just jumps right off the page. Loved this one.

I am usually a graphic novel fan more than a comic fan, but I am also a fan of Lockhart and decided to give this one a try. I thought it was well written and the characters were relatable, but the worldbuilding of Gotham was a lot for me to push through and keep up with. While this was not my favorite, I know students who enjoy comics would enjoy this book, and I will likely purchase it for my library.

Thought this was fun but nothing special. To be fair, I don't hugely enjoy E. Lockhart's books but I found a lot of this story fell flat for me.

Brilliant! A very new hero, a new kind of hero almost, and I loved her! And her dog! This was a fun origin story for a new superhero!

Whistle is a teenage hero we need! The story lagged a bit but overall I found the characters and artwork to be engaging and inviting. I look forward to reading more about Willow.

I liked the idea of this more than its reality. A new kind of hero--female, yay!--who wants to help her mom and neighborhood. But somehow the story itself didn't capture my attention. Hoping the next installment is better.

This was a great YA graphic novel. The main character is a new character to the DC universe and has her own identity, but there are plenty of cameos and mentions of popular DC heroes and villains. As always, Manuel Preitano's art is immersive and captivating, really capturing the emotions of the characters. A great read.

Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart was interesting enough while I was reading but ultimately mostly forgettable and a skim read most of it. I do want to this this another try when I'm not in a reading slump though, as it seemed really cute.

I'm a huge DC nerd and getting to read about Gotham in a whole new way was such an exciting experience for me. It's difficult for me to often get into graphic novels without DNF'ing them, but this was absolutely an exception to that habit of mine, I couldn't put it down. I was immediately sucked into the wonderful world of Gotham and all of the excitement it has to offer from a YA perspective. Thank you so much for the advanced e-copy!

Willow, a compassionate, animal-loving activist, can't catch a break. There isn't enough money for her mom's cancer treatment, and her community is crumbling before her eyes. After a chance encounter with Killer Croc, Willow's life is turned upside down by new abilities. And then her mom's family friend offers her a strange job planning parties with unusual guest. Will these new developments change her life or just change Willow into someone she's not?

I wasn't sure going into this if I was going to like it or not. I've been reading a lot of things set in Gotham recently so I wasn't sure if I'd be burned out but I was pleasantly surprised! I know the struggle with trying to pay for medical bills so I really related to that part of the story. Overall, I think this was a nice addition to all the super powered people running around Gotham. I would gladly read more!

There's a reason E. Lockhart is among my favorite YA authors. Her characters have real depth. I also love her treatment of traditional Batman villains in this story, and how the main character walks such a fine line to keep her integrity and take care of her loved ones.

Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero

By: E. Lockhart

DC Entertainment

DC Comics

Teens and YA

Publish Date 7 September 2021

#WhistleANewGothamCityHero#NetGalley

50 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would first like to thank NetGalley and DC Entertainment for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Willow Zimmerman has something to say. When she’s not on the streets advocating for her community, she’s volunteering at the local pet shelter. She seeks to help all those in need, even the stray dog she’s named Lebowitz that follows her around. But as much as she does for the world around her, she struggles closer to home–taking care of her mother, recently diagnosed with cancer. Her job as an adjunct professor of Jewish studies does not provide adequate health insurance–and Willow can see that time is running out.

When in desperation she reconnects with her estranged “uncle” Edward, he opens the door to an easier life. Through simple jobs, such as hosting his private poker nights with Gotham City’s elites, she is able to keep her family afloat–and afford critical medical treatments for her mother.

Willow’s family life quickly improves through the income provided by these jobs, but it comes at the cost of distancing herself from the people she truly cares about. Her time is now spent on new connections, such as biologist and teacher Pammie Isley. And when Willow and Lebowitz collide with the monstrous Killer Croc outside the local synagogue, they are both injured, only to wake up being able to understand each other. And there are other developments, too…strange ways in which they’ve become stronger together. Willow’s activism kicks into high gear–with these powers, she can really save the world!

But when Willow discovers that Edward and his friends are actually some of Gotham’s most corrupt criminals, she must make a choice: remain loyal to the man who kept her family together, or use her new powers to be a voice for her community.

Book Review:

I gave this graphic novel 4 stars. It is a quick read and fun. What can I tell you about this book that Good Reads hasn’t already. The Illustrations are great. It is nice to know that some teenagers care about what is going on around them.

Willow really loves her mom and is constantly worried about her. She has to learn how to make things around all work together. She is good at job but while doing so she neglects the other things that are important to her.

Can she still work for her “Uncle” and help the community? You will have to read the book to find out.

Yet another great DC YA graphic novel, this time from award-winning author and National Book Award Finalist, E. Lockhart. Willow Zimmerman is a 16-year-old Jewish teen activist, living in the Down River section of Gotham. It's a run-down neighborhood and she's tired of it being overlooked; she takes to the streets in protest when she's not at school or at home, caring for her mother, who's going through treatment for cancer. She works part-time in an animal shelter and feeds her friend, a stray Great Dane she's named Leibowitz, on the side. When E. Nigma - her mom's estranged friend - gets in touch with Willow, she learns that he's cleaned himself up and is a successful real estate entrepreneur who runs an underground gambling promotion on the side, and he wants to give her a job. Faced with mounting bills and the fear of eviction, Willow accepts and starts earning more money than she could have ever imagined. When she and Leibowitz are attacked by Killer Croc, who has a grudge to settle with Nigma, the two realize that they can understand one another - where other people hear assorted growls and barks, Willow hears Leibowitz talking! The two decide to become a superteam and do their part to clean up Gotham: even if it means playing double agents to Nigma, aka The Riddler, and Pamela Isley, who's helping Nigma out as her alter ego, Poison Ivy. I love the origin stories DC's YA authors have been putting out, and their new heroes are go good, I can't help but hope they'll eventually show up in the big titles. Willow is a smart, likable heroine faced with big, real-world issues: lack of healthcare, a single, ailing parent, and the aggravation of living in a neighborhood that's ignored by all but real estate developers who will gentrify for cheap and push the incumbent citizens out. She combats this first by taking it to the streets; when that isn't working fast enough, she learns to play both sides of the game. Leibowitz is her steadfast sidekick with a funny, sly sense of humor (once we can hear him talk), and it's great to see some Gotham familiar faces (including a surprise cameo) and a new spin on The Riddler. All around, a solid hit from DC yet again.

This was a really fun story! I don’t know much about the DC characters but I’ve been living for these graphic novels they’ve been putting out. The pacing was great for an origin story and the art was great.

I tried reading Whistle, but it didn't grab me. I don't know if it was the mood I was in or the style. I'll have to try another time since I do think it has potential. I was really looking forward to a new E. Lockhart book too!