There’s been a lot of hate directed towards this book, and I think it’s unreasonable. I just finished an advance copy, and I was pleasantly surprised! This is definitely a book for teens that are familiar with the Teen Titans cartoons— and that’s okay! If you’re not the target audience and this doesn’t look like your thing, you can ignore it and move on. And if you’re mad because it’s not the canon you’re used to: this book is an AU, like so many other recent titles, specifically the YA ones. But so many younger people are going to love this! And I really enjoyed it too. Surprisingly, I think it’s easily the best YA DC stand-alone they’ve put out. The tone was fun and meta, the art was beautiful and colorful, and the themes of exploring generational differences between immigrants through a literal alien were handled well; all the while, this felt like a genuine teen voice too. The queer representation was also very casual, and I liked that; it wasn’t made out to be a big deal. If you grew up on the Teen Titans cartoon, this is a spiritual successor I think you should check out, especially if you like YA. 4.5/5 stars.

Starfire aka Koriand’r is a DC superhero and in I am Not Starfire, we get to meet her daughter Mandy. Starfire is one of my favorite DC characters so I was interested to see where author Mariko Tamaki was going to take the character.

Starfire comes off as a concerned but loving parent with a normal teen who is trying to connect and understand why her child isn’t interested in college. Where Starfire is confident in her powers and personality, Mandy struggles to find her place in a world where she doesn’t have superhero powers. Add in being overweight and queer, you have a TEENAGER who is nothing like the people that surround her mother (aka The Titans) and so of course it’s hard for her to relate to anyone or anything expect for her personal struggle.

In this graphic novel, I realized right away that Tamaki crafted a modern take on a mother-daughter relationship. There are a few winks toward Mandy’s alleged father and although I did not appreciate the deadbeat dad shade towards him, Nightwing does make several appearances. We do get to see some of the Titans being supportive (Raven as a tutor!) and I loved that Mandy’s best friend truly cared about her feelings.

My favorite part of the novel was easily Yoshi Yoshitani’s gorgeous illustrations. The colors are bold and they just jump off the page! While it was hard for me to connect with Mandy and her many issues, I did like that towards the end of the book mother and daughter come to a satisfying compromise.

I read and received an ARC from DC Entertainment and NetGalley. Thank you so much! The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The story follows seventeen-year-old Mandy who is the daughter of Starfire. She is not like her superhero mom at all. Rather, she is the complete opposite both in appearance and has no powers. She is quite distant with her mom and does not talk about how she walked out of her S.A.Ts with no plans to go to college.

While she has everything planned out to move to France instead, she is partnered up with popular girl Claire for a school project. Mandy likes her. A lot. But what happens when someone from Starfire's past arrives? Will Mandy give up everything or take a risk to save her mom?

While the ARC was rough with the writing, I was still able to follow Mandy's daily life with having Starfire as a superhero mom. Not only does she have to deal with family expectations, but she deals with her peers at school who ask her about her mom, the Teen Titans, and if she has any superpowers which burdens her.

But along the way, the friendship between Lincoln and Mandy is supportive, the romance between Claire and Mandy is cute, and the art emotionally makes both Starfire and Mandy's character designs pop in contrast with each other.

What could be improved was Mandy's character. While she indeed has her frustrations being Starfire's shadow, I wasn't fond of her mean personality towards others as a protagonist. She is honest and realistic but I can't help but feel her character and the conflict aren't explored in-depth due to the quick pace of the graphic novel.

Overall, the graphic novel zooms in on LGBTQ+ and plus-size rep, family relationships, friendships, and self-identity. It explores how not all paths are linear and the importance of not being afraid to fail while giving something a try. I recommend this to young adults and Teen Titan fans.

I Am Not Starfire is written by Mariko Tamaki, drawn and colored by Yoshi Yoshitani, lettered by Aditya Bidikar, and published by DC Comics. I Am Not Starfire is part of the DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults line.

I Am Not Starfire follows Mandy, your average grumpy antisocial high school student struggling to figure out her future. Except, she’s not that average. Her mom is the famous superhero Starfire. That’s right—the same Starfire that was the former princess of Tamaran and a member of the Titans. Mandy considers being the daughter of Starfire to be an unfortunate circumstance. People try and get close to her just to meet her mom. And people expect her to look and behave exactly like her mother. But Mandy isn’t anything like Starfire. At 16, almost 17, she has yet to develop superpowers, and she dyes her orange hair black to try and diminish her resemblance to her mother. She’s trying to have the most normal high school experience she can, despite her unusual experiences.

All Mandy wants is to make her mother understand that she’s not going to college, finish high school, and move to Paris. And make it through a school project with her crush Claire. Hopefully becoming more than friends with Claire in the process. However, a dangerous figure from her mother’s past shows up, threatening to upend everything Mandy cares about.

Tamaki writes a compelling and emotional tale in I Am Not Starfire. Like almost everyone in their late teens, Mandy is trying to figure out who she is and where she fits in the world. This is a great baseline to build the superhero part of the story because readers can relate to it. Late adolescence is a tumultuous time, even without a superpowered, super famous parent.

And build off of this, Tamaki does. Mandy’s moments of normalcy are often undercut by someone asking her about what villains or monsters her mother is fighting now or the Titans showing up at her house. There’s a great balance between the truly normal and the “normal for a world where superheroes exist.”

In I Am Not Starfire, Tamaki writes Mandy as relatable and sympathetic. It’s easy to understand her frustration with her mother and resentment at everyone comparing them, expecting them to be the same. Mandy wants to be loved and appreciated for who she is, not who she’s related to or who people think she should be. Something that most can relate to.

The way Yoshitani’s art flows across the pages of I Am Not Starfire feels so natural. And Yoshitani also makes great use of the space on the entire page. Characters aren’t always contained to one panel; they overlap with other panels. Not in a way that feels overwhelming but in a way that pulls the reader’s eye along with the art. There are also moments where characters or speech bubbles move spillover from the panels into the gutter. Each page has a different and creative layout, making I Am Not Starfire a real visual treat.

In addition to the panel layout and art flow, the character designs Yoshitani creates perfectly fit I Am Not Starfire. Mandy can try to distinguish herself from her mother as much as possible, but they are clearly related. Despite Mandy’s dyed black hair and goth style, a huge contrast to Starfire’s brilliant orange hair and preference for clothing that exposes as much of her body as possible to the sunlight she gains her power from, Mandy is clearly her mother’s daughter. They have similar facial features, and their expressions and body language frequently mirror each other.

I Am Not Starfire has a large variety of character diversity, not only personality-wise but appearance-wise. There’s a wide variety of skin tones, hairstyles, and body types. Mandy is plus-sized. Very obviously so. Thankfully, her size isn’t really a plot point in I Am Not Starfire. Yes, there are a few rude comments from classmates about her size, but the comments set the tone for Mandy’s experience at school.

There are some bullies, high school sucks, and Mandy can’t wait to leave. But she doesn’t feel ashamed of her body or desire to change it. And while Starfire does make a few comments about what Mandy is eating and Mandy mentions that her mom doesn’t like her appearance, this doesn’t become a central idea to the story. Mandy doesn’t undergo a weight loss montage or feel like she has to. Mandy is happy with her body.

Yoshitani’s colors in I Am Not Starfire are also stunning. Often bold and intense, they set the scene. And provide contrast between Mandy and her mother. Starfire loves warm colors. She dresses in them, decorates with them. Meanwhile, Mandy prefers cool tones, darker colors that set her apart from her mother.

Bidikar’s lettering in I Am Not Starfire is solid. As previously mentioned, the speech bubbles and boxes are not always confined to a panel. They can cross over into the gutter or surrounding panels. It’s a testament to Bidikar’s skill as a letterer that this helps them flow with the art and the action, allowing the reader to easily know how to follow the dialogue.

Even if readers aren’t usually huge fans of superhero stories, I Am Not Starfire is well worth checking out. I Am Not Starfire is more than just a superhero book; it’s a coming-of-age tale with a superhero twist. And the relatable, emotional story combined with the gorgeous art makes this book a must-read.

I Am Not Starfire is intended for teen readers ages 13 and up. It is a coming-of-age story of self-discovery that is perfect for readers who are looking for a summer vacation read with LGBTQ+ elements. It’s also perfect for readers who are fans of the Teen Titans. People who have watched the Teen Titans or Teen Titans Go! TV series will be familiar with the characters involved. As far as warnings go, the only thing to really keep in mind is that Mandy is 17 and there is some swearing within the book.

Overall, I enjoyed I Am Not Starfire. I had really no idea what to expect from the book based on the description. But I am happy to say that there is no hatred between Mandy and her mother. They don’t always understand each other, but who really understood their parents when they were teenagers? And what kind of parents completely understand their teenagers? It’s a tough age. I felt like the story was organic and not forced. Mandy was a good narrator of her own story, and you could feel and relate to her frustrations.

I highly recommend I Am Not Starfire to those who are fans of the Teen Titan franchise. It is definitely geared toward teenagers, but I think it is also something that can be enjoyed by people of any age if they keep in mind the intended audience for this book. It is a fun and easy read that touches on some of the hard things teens deal with while in high school and also still discovering who they really are.

My full review can be found here: https://thegeekiary.com/growing-up-with-a-superhero-mother-i-am-not-starfire-graphic-novel-review/98998

The graphic novels published by DC are excellent. These books are great for my nieces and my students. This was no different for me than others. This beautifully illustrated story of these renowned superheroes tells their coming-of-age story through beautiful artwork by Mariko Tamaki. Definitely a good read.

This story takes the awkward teen with a perfect mom trope and adds a superhero element to it. Mandy's mother is the superhero Starfire and Mandy, a super powerless high school student, is tired of being in her mom's shadow. I had high hopes for this unique take on an old theme. Unfortunately, this story did nothing new but add in some super hero references. While it was a quick and engaging read, it was very predictable. The story would have had a greater impact if the writers had taken some risks.

This book gives an interesting look into superhero life - specifically what it means to be raised by a hero while not having any super powers yourself.

Mandy is Starfire's only daughter and growing up in her mother's shadow has its downsides. Being a teenager is hard enough, but when your mom is part of the world's most famous crime fighting group - navigating the social streams can become even more perilous. Mandy is the exact opposite of her mom. Starfire is fit, bright, basks in the light of the sun, popular with the boys - oh and she has awesome ailien superpowers.

Mandy on the other hand is cute and edgy in her black clothes and chunky combat boots (in many ways she looks like she could be Raven's long lost daughter). She is slightly on the chubby side (an awesome and wonderful addition for girls everywhere!), she likes girls, and the super power gene seems to have skipped her generation.

Though she loves her mom, the two have trouble relating and communicating together. This amazing graphic novel gives a different look at superhero stories focusing on family life, self image, and coming of age in a superhero world.

Add to that a suprise visit from Aunt Blackfire and an ensuing family battle and I think all the boxes are checked.

Highly recommend for all ages!

Another hit from the DC Young Adult line! I've always loved the Teen Titans cartoon, but could never get into the comics because they felt so different. I Am Not Starfire has the feel of the cartoon, but with the focus being on Starfire's daughter now. Who's Mandy's dad, you ask? Who knows? (but also, it's totally Nightwing...). Mandy was super relatable; even if I don't have a superhero for a mom, I understand being a very different person from my parents. I also get the feeling of not knowing what to do after high school.

Also, the art is beyond GORGEOUS. So colorful and clean!

An interesting concept with a fairly successful execution: superhero Starfire having a power-less human goth teen daughter. I feel like this concept warranted further, deeper exploration. But for the length of this graphic novel, it did enjoy it, just was left wanting more. The art is great and character designs are charming- I particularly enjoyed the coloring of this graphic novel.
I can see a lot of people empathizing and relating to Mandy: her internal struggles, complicated family ties and budding sexuality. All of these things will be appealing for others to read.

<b> i got this Graphic Novel from [author:Mariko Tamaki|483588] #NetGalley for free for an honest review </b>

<b> <i> I Am Not Starfire comes out July, 27th 2021 (07.27.2021) </b> </i>

I freaking LOVED this!!!! So this is a GN about Starfire's Daughter, Mandy, and how being the Daughter of a stunning, superhero! How different Mandy is compared to her mom and pretty much #sliceofLIFE! type of story... I LOVED the art style and how colorful, well pink, and girly all of Starfire's stuff was... Mandy's style was more goth, dark... I thought it was pretty different since you really wouldn't think that Starfire's daughter would look like, well Mandy lol ;p ... IDK if there will be more GN revolving around Mandy... but IF there is I wouldn't be mad!!! UGh, I just freaking loved Mandy so freaking much! her black hair, her stunning green eyes, her doc martins, her black fingernail polish!!! just her entire style was awesome to read and see the beautiful artwork that went along with this wonderful story!!!!
#iamnotstarfire
author: #MarikoTamaki
art: #YoshiYoshitani
publisher: #DCEntertainment

(I ALSO POSTED THIS ON GOODREADS AS WELL!!!)

As an avid fan of comic books, it was fun to see a different take on the idea of the next generation of superheroes. It did have a slow start, but the patience in reading it really paid off. The relationship between mother and daughter was well thought out. It is a perfect read for teens or even preteens as they begin to explore their own sense of self-identity. And, while there was speculation about who her father was, it was never a significant component of the story. I felt like this increased the potential relatability for individuals who may not know the identity and provided a chance to see themselves reflected in the main character.

I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki and artist Yoshi Yoshitani is a story about Mandy, the daughter of the superhero Starfire.

Seventeen-year-old Mandy is NO sparkly superhero. She has no powers, dyes her hair black, and hates everyone but her best friend Lincoln. And she doesn’t want to do what people expect her to do.

This story is about becoming who you were meant to be, and not what everyone else wants you to be. You are not your parents. Mandy may not seem close with her mother, but they are there for each other when it really matters. And sometimes people do stupid things and unintentionally hurt you, and it’s your decision whether you want to forgive them or not. Space and time is sometimes what you need.

I don’t know much about Starfire, except for her interactions with Nightwing, so it was interesting to see a different side of her. I loved the tidbits including the Titans, but that this wasn’t their story. And Yoshi’s art style was perfect choice.

Thank you DC Comics and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley and DC for the ARC of this book. I will freely admit that I am up and down on the DC YA books. However, I am totally up on this one. Since these books are not in continuity anyway, we get to have all kinds of cool new characters pop into the DCU. The idea that Kori’s daughter would be her total opposite in every way totally checks out. Of course she would be. Isn’t that what being a teenager is all about? We push back against our parents and the lives they lead. It is amplified by a million here as Mandy’s mom is Starfire. I love the pacing of the story. The side characters are three dimensional and real. The art is vibrant. The colors jump. This is a great comic for teenagers who are not sure where they fit into the world and need some reassurance, but it is also just a great comic.

Mandy is nothing like her mother, Starfire. She wants to get as far out of her superhero shadow as possible. At school, she is an outcast, and all she wants is to impress her crush Claire, finish high school, and go to France. When trouble arises, Mandy will have to figure out how she fits in at school and with her mother.

While I really liked the art style of this book, I did not find Mandy very likable. She seemed angry for no reason and cursed way more than I was expecting in a DC Ink book. This book followed the common tropes of not fitting in at school, having family expectations, and not knowing what to do with your life. While I liked the ending where Mandy got her powers, overall I feel that the other DC Ink books have done a better job of reimagining and revamping classic characters. While I will recommend this to DC fans, I'm not sure this will appeal to a broader audience.

*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I'll start out by saying that I have not read any of the Teen Titans comics other than Kami Garcia's recent graphic novel about Raven. I am, however, a longtime fan of the animated series.
Starfire is one of my favorite characters in DC, and I had no issue with her daughter, Mandy. Mandy is tired of living in Starfire's shadow and, in typical teenage fashion, is deciding to do the exact opposite of everything her mother encompasses. I thought she was snarky, honest, and realistic. Her romance was very sweet as well. While I wish the book would have addressed Mandy's anxiety more, I felt like it was a great mix of superhuman antics and regular teen angst. I also loved the casual cameos of the other Teen Titans cast. Overall, I was very impressed with this deviation from the usual lore.

So Starfire has a human daughter named Mandy. Mandy seemingly has no powers and feels like she is the complete opposite of her mother. (It's unknown who her father is.) Mandy walks out of the SAT test and decides she's not going to college. This has her friends envious but her mother isn't so pleased. Mandy decides to run away but gets caught. This book was quite short but Mandy came back around and decided to take the SAT test and go to college after realizing her mom and her friends weren't wrong and she actually likes her life. There's quite a lot of cussing in this book for it to be for teens. If a teen were to see themselves in Mandy it's likely nothing new though.

Thanks to DC & NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Now, I will concede I have been a long-time Teen Titans fan so it's fair to see my review as biased, but hear me out! I have a ton of qualms about this book, unfortunately. I love Kami Garcia's Raven & Beast Boy series as well as the other Graphic Novels that DC has been pumping out, but this one is the worst I've read by far for a multitude of reasons.

The art: It kept flip-flopping at some points. Kory was perfectly drawn in every panel and the eventual villain (no spoilers) was drawn very well too! Everyone else was kinda...off. Especially Mandy, but it might just be I don't like her hairstyle at all, ha. Sometimes she looked outright terrifying in the art, not sure why.

Mandy: Uh...I'm going to be as nice as I can but Mandy is an outright mean person. Now, I can understand her being frustrated by idiot kids always harping on about Starfire's popularity, but except for one kid, everyone was pretty chill. They were usually saying stuff like "Hey, please tell your mom thanks for saving Chicago!" As a result of people asking her about her mom, she decided to be mean to every single person she meets. I know she's a teen and all but...like...why be mean to everyone? There's a reason she only has one friend in this entire book...she's nasty to everyone else. It's not fun to read about a really mean protagonist that thinks it's cool to hate everyone. I really haven't read such an awful protagonist in a while, so this was hard to get through...

Starfire: Really sweet much like her cartoon counterpart, I didn't really have any complaints about her. I absolutely loathed how mean Mandy was toward Starfire, she was a pretty decent mom throughout the book but Mandy acted like she was terrible. Not to mention, Starfire is dating since she's a single mom and Mandy is really mad at her for that but it doesn't get expanded on and her own daughter slut-shames her as a result. So lovely to read about for one of my favorite superheroes....I say, dripping with sarcasm.

The writing: Mandy's frustrations are understandable but never really...expanded on throughout the book. She doesn't want to go to college. She tries taking the SATs but gets so nervous she leaves. It seems like she has anxiety about testing in general, not necessarily the SATs specifically? So, toward the end, she ends up studying for an SAT retake anyway.....I thought she didn't want to go to college? The core point of her conversations with her girlfriend and best friend involves her choice to not go to college but it seems like she does a heel face turn and decides to study anyway? There were decisions throughout the book that really confused me logically because of how it was presented earlier in the book.

The romance: It was sweet at some points but it was really hard for me to believe because like I said before, Mandy's a total jerkwad. Mandy's only likeable with the girlfriend which is sweet but it's hard to appreciate the LGBTQ+ elements when Mandy is an extremely unlikable protagonist. The girlfriend didn't have much depth either, so that didn't help.

In conclusion, I would just recommend reading DC"s other graphic novels such as Kami Garcia's "Raven" & "Beast Boy" series for the Teen Titans crumbs and "Poison Ivy: Thorns" for the better LGBTQ+ rep, not to mention, all three of these titles have a more likeable protagonist that is far more fleshed out compared to Mandy.

This book was absolutely disappointing and it's a shame considering Starfire/Koriand'r is a fantastic hero and Teen Titan, how in the name of X'hal is Mandy related to her?

Whistle is the story of Mandy who is the daughter of the famous hero Starfire. Mandy is struggling to figure out who she is and who she is meant to be. Which makes things hard when she is so different than her mother. Author Mariko Tamaki wrote Harley Quinn Breaking Glass and X23. Artist Yoshi Yoshitani drew Mostress and Zatanna and the House of Secrets.

This book is super cute. The art fits the type of story so well. It is more for older kids than I expected, but the theme of finding out who you are will be so relatable. Very well done and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

Creative Team:
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Art by Yoshi Yoshitani
Letters by Aditya Bidikar

I really enjoy the dynamic between Mandy and her mother here. It really fits into the immigrant parent & child expectations that we see in real life. There are some great themes here that I wish were delved into a bit more, but we do need to have an epic battle or it wouldn't be a superhero story!
This will be a fun purchase for middle and high schools.