Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Honestly, I wasn't wild about it, and I have been reading middle grade level books for around 50 years. If I had no exposure to Batman or the other DC superheroes, this would not have been a very good introduction. The characters were almost all converted into teens and tweens. Didn't matter what had come before. I had to look at it as another alternate universe and try to go with the rules here. But the characters in this book did not have the same "character" they have in other books. Clark Kent is something of a bully. Barry Allen is a showoff. Dick Grayson is kind of silly. And Bruce Wayne is nothing like Batman. Even Alfred is of a different character. I just didn't see how, even in this setting, this could work. It was played too much for laughs. It often went to ridiculous lengths to get those laughs.

It was okay for what it was, but I would not read another comic set in this reality. It was too foolish for me to want to bother with again. And I hate saying things like that.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I just couldn't get into it. I could see young superhero fans enjoying it though.

My super hero loving son really enjoyed this book and I liked reading it with him! Two thumbs up, he says!

This is a spoiler free review.

Bruce Wayne: Not Super is a great introduction to Batman for middle school kids. This story is easy to read and enjoy. There are also great themes throughout this graphic novel about trying to fit in, never giving up, and you don't need a superpower to make a difference or help someone in need. I think every child and their parents will enjoy this middle school age Batman caper.

This fun young superhero story is very similar to the movie, Sky High but with DC Universe characters as the students. In fact every student has superpowers except, 13 year old Bruce Wayne but that won't stop Bruce, Alfred, and his new friend Dick Grayson from trying to stop the school bully from pulling small crimes on the play ground and maybe something even bigger at school...

Bruce Wayne: Not Super is a graphic novel kids will enjoy and parents will love all the Easter eggs. There are funny references throughout the story and lots of hidden Easter eggs in the illustrations, especially in the background at the school. This graphic novel is also full of cameos from all your favorite DC heroes and villains. So keep your eyes peeled detectives and see who or what you find.

The artwork fits in really well in this young superhero tale. I think kids will like it and be drawn in to the fact that Batman, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Robin all look like silly fun kids just like them. These illustrations will help kids reading this graphic novel relate to our young heroes and see anyone can be a hero.

I recommend Bruce Wayne: Not Super to children and big kids as well. Kids and their parents will have fun bonding over this entertaining graphic novel.

Stay awesome and keep reading!

Bruce Wayne: Not Super

Creative Team:

Written by Stuart Gibbs

Illustrated by Berat Pekmezci

A middle school graphic novel where Bruce goes to a school full of what will be DC's superheroes and villains. He's the only kid with no powers (other than being rich.) I kind of like how Superman and the Flash are kind of jerks. To put all of the Batman characters in there, characters sometimes get powers they don't really have like Selina Kyle can talk to cats and Dick Grayson is some kind of super acrobat. Bruce gets it into his head to become a vigilante. Enter Jack Napier who is a school bully stealing lunch money from kids (and faked his powers to get into the school.) He decides to rob the school during the big football game. I like that the stakes are lower for this. Batman's costume looks like something a kid would design. There's lots of little jokes everywhere. I think it's something's kids will really enjoy.

This was a quite enjoyable read and a bit of a deviation from the normal Batman and Justice League (mainly) stories. I liked that Gibbs kind of upended our expectation by having all of the heroes basically too focused on being super for themselves to help others, and how Bruce is actually made to feel like being a vigilante is a bad thing.

The story moves quickly. The main characters are well developed. And the artwork is nice and bright. Despite the Gotham City bleakness. I did find a few things harder to reconcile as I was trying to fit together some of the pieces, like Robin and his involvement. I think I was picturing how the plot would lead them to be the characters from the more normalized storyline which was probably the wrong approach to take.

I would probably recommend this for a middle schooler or above who likes the DC and Marvel universe but prefers a more linear story than some of the comics afford. It is definitely a stand alone, although there is some indication that there may be more volumes in the future. I look forward to that, although if this was a single volume, I wouldn't mind because I feel it wraps up well enough and I can probably guess where it goes from middle school to adulthood.

I love this book so much. It is definitely an Elseworld title, it has the kids getting their powers before they should. Nothing like a 7th grader wielding cosmic powers. Superman is a bully in the beginning but instead of being jaring it just made me laugh because as a 7th grade teacher I can assure you that all 7th graders are dicks. So it works. Taylor's letters are spot on as always. They don't interfere with the art and add to the story. The art is by Berat Pekmezci and this was my first book by this creator. I loved the art it was cute and a lot of fun. They story was a fun adventure story and I think my middle schoolers will love it.

4 stars

Ok. Hear me out. This is NOT the Batman you know, but it is absurdly fun. It is a kids book for adults and an adults book for kids. I think that DC Kids has a huge winner with this. All the things a DC super book should have, plus some wonderful Easter eggs. Look for the shark repellent as an homage to Batman 66 and see if two of the back ground characters are about to kiss (they are).

Bravo.

This was another fun children's title that features a young Bruce Wayne in a school full of superheroes. While I enjoyed it, it is jarring if you are more familiar with the Batman and DC lore. I do think this is a great intro though for kids not quite ready for some of the scarier DC comics.

1st Line: "This is Gotham City."

Review: This new graphic novel, of a pre-Batman Bruce Wayne as a kid, opens in a Gotham City already all but decimated by crime and corruption. But with all its horrors, the worst of them for the young, rich, highly-intelligent but otherwise nerdy Bruce Wayne, orphaned after the murders of his parents, is none other than the Gotham Preparatory School for the Really, Really Gifted - his middle school. Here, all the students have some form of super power or another (The Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman, Penguin, Catwoman, and more - all started off in middle grade here) ... except for Bruce, who only got into the school because his parents funded the building of it before their deaths, and remains a target for bullies for not having any powers of his own. But when fellow student Jack Napier, himself having no super powers except for conning his way into the school, begins bullying Bruce's friend, elementary student Dick Grayson, Bruce becomes determined to strike back - thus beginning his ascent to a career as a vigilante, even as his loyal butler Alfred and the school's vice-principal forbid it. But will Bruce get it together in time to foil Jack's plans for the Crime of the Semester? And what of Bane, Jack's new sidekick, who would be a formidable foe even for someone with superpowers?

Bruce Wayne: Not Super is terrific; a comedic look at the young, super-smart yet geeky Bruce completely out of his element as a young kid, formerly with the attention span of a goldfish, who may have finally found his calling. Also nice are the glimpses of a number of future DC superhero icons in their youth, but the story really does belong to the humor of Bruce wanting to save his city, agreeing to take a hyperactive Robin in tow as his sidekick, with no knowledge of how to fight and an arsenal of weapons thrown together in minutes - and potentially of harm more to the user than the bad guy - all while Alfred says no and remains in constant threat of sending the future Batman to his room. The poor kid, after all, can't even put a bat costume together; in it, he's mistaken for everything from a badger to a rat to even a prairie dog. Bruce pushes past it all, his pluck and determination to save Gotham City one villain at a time his true calling, and among writer Stuart Gibbs glib and funny humor and Berat Pekmezci's bursting-with-color art, the very basic but heartfelt beginnings of the boy who'd grow to become The Bat shines through. It's really good. So good, I already itch for a sequel. 4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute alternate tale about how Bruce Wayne became Batman. There was an abundance of background characters that were a nice nod to the huge rogue gallery that the Batman universe has. This book is aimed at 8-14 years old but older audiences can enjoy it as a quick read. This story has some issues but I think the brevity was justified since the story had to be contained in one graphic novel. Also, this is a kid's book it has to keep things simple and moving to get to all the fun action. The character designs and outfits were amazing and I can see people turning these into cosplays. I recommend this to a younger audience wanting a safe Batman story to read and to older fans for a fun take on the characters and story. 

*I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

The youth graphic services of DC have been like "Whatever you want!" for a while now and that's great. *creaky voice* Back in my day, there was a Bat embargo.

No joke. The idea was that the kids would get too confused if there were too many versions of characters. That's why Teen Titans and Teen Titans GO were not allowed to exist at the same time...until they did. 🙄 Now, kid Bruce Wayne can go to middle school with Clark Kent in Gotham. Sure, why not? It's fine! KIDS GET ELSEWORLDS.

In this one, Bruce's school is for super-powered kids (Dick's and Harley's gymnastic ability counts), but Bruce gets in by being the rich kid whose parents sponsored the school before they died. Now Bruce is dealing with feelings of inadequacy, and he doesn't trust the school psychologist, Dr. Crane.

It's not Tiny Titans or JL8, but it IS fun and it's not got some lessons without being preachy. Kids will enjoy it unless they're already gatekeeping purists, in which case it's time to sit them down and teach them what the word "Elseworld" means.

Such a fun introduction to Batman! Middle grade readers will really enjoy this. Bruce is relatable as he struggles to fit in at a school for those with superpowers while he has none. Those familiar with DC will be able to spot other superheroes and villains. Of course this doesn’t align to their actual origin stories but it’s still an entertaining read. More so, it encourages doing the right thing and shows being smart is a superpower too! Thank you NetGalley and DC Entertainment for the arc.

Bruce Wayne: Not Super is a middle-grade graphic novel about Batman before he becomes Batman. Welcome to Gotham Preparatory School for the Really Really Gifted!

First off, I am admittedly not super-knowledgeable about superheroes, so I come to this work with a far less critical eye than a die-hard DC fan. Sure, it probably doesn't make sense that Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), and Harley Quinn are all in middle school together at the same time. It's a degree of disbelief I'm willing to suspend because this story is cute! And it is a super-gentle entry into the world of superheroes (and villains), DC, and the Bat Family. For someone like me who doesn't know all the ins and outs of all the characters, their origins, and the origins of their nemeses...it's a decent primer. Is it perfect? Is it canon? Nope and probably not. Is it accessible? ABSOLUTELY.

I need MG graphic novels like this for all the superheroes! (I think there already may be a lot of them? I should read them.)

Little Bruce Wayne genuinely just wants to stand up for truth and justice for all. It's adorable watching him trial-and-error his way to his alias and his arsenal of crime-fighting tools. Dick Grayson's character is precious, and why he chooses the identity Robin is hilarious. We get to see the beginnings of the Joker, too. Even I (the total n00b) was able to identify many of the heroes-/villains-to-be milling about the campus of Gotham Prep, so I know big DC fans will get a real kick out of seeing baby versions of those characters—and catch all the little Easter eggs I'm sure I missed.

Thanks to DC Entertainment and NetGalley for this ARC! Bruce Wayne: Not Super by Stuart Gibbs and Berat Pekmezci comes out on March 14, 2023!

Read posted to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5395819355

I'm not really a big fan of Batman, but this was a pretty good light story about how and why he became Batman.

There were two issues I had with it.
1. Why was Clark Kent a bully? That didn't make sense. It's completely out of character.
2. Why didn't Alfred care that someone was going to rob children? I understand why he didn't think it was Bruce's responsibility to stop them, but he's an adult. He could've warned someone instead of acting like it didn't matter. Seems like a weird thing to put into a graphic novel aimed at children.

On page 35 there's an error. Bruce says Diana's last name is Price, not Prince.

Overall I thought it was just alright.

This is the origin story of Batman...except Bruce Wayne is a teenager attending a middle school for kids with powers. He was only allowed to attend because his parents built the school. In this edition of the origin story, Bruce learns that he can still do good without a superpower.

Young Bruce Wayne attends a special school for teens with super powers. Bruce, however, doesn’t have a super power and is struggling to fit in.

Longtime fans of Batman will enjoy recognizing familiar DC characters in Bruce’s classmates. As an alternate origin story, it also works as a first introduction to Batman.

DC has often received criticism for how dark their stories are, but this is a light, funny Batman adventure that is perfect for middle grade readers. I hope this book is the first of many!

Such a fun title! I was tickled with just how funny this genuinely was, and I loved all the little nods to the whole of the DCverse. The illustrations and vibrancy were great! I really liked the panel and gutter layouts as well.

The story was alright; I appreciate the overall message. But the humor is really what carried this title for me.

I requested an ARC of this because Im a huge Batman/DC fan and the premise sounded really fun.

The art is great and the pacing is just right but you REALLY have to take this as an AU to actual DC Batman. Absolutely none of the characters have their actual personalities (Clark Kent being a jerk who cheats on math homework? He would never). And the inconsistencies in the plot are really glaring. The whole idea is that Bruce is the only kid in the school without any super powers and it puts him at a disadvantage- then we see that Dick Greyson is in the school and Selena Kyle. Neither of these two character have "superpowers". So it kind of go against Bruce's entire point.

Overall there were some funny moments and it was fun to try and spot all the different heroes. If we consider this a different Earth than the one we're used to in all other DC media it could be a great growing point to see this awkward version of Bruce turn in to the true Batman we all know and love. It has potential!