Bruce Wayne is surrounded by people with super powers at school. His goal in life is to become a vigilante, despite everyone discouraging him from it since he doesn’t have powers. However, when a couple of kids hatch a plot to steal from the whole middle school, Bruce teams up with Alfred and Dick to try to stop them.

Characters from both the Batman and general DC universe were featured in this book either as classmates or other side characters. It was really fun to see young versions of beloved heroes, villains, and antiheroes, even as cameos. Long-time Batman fans will love nods to classic Batman tropes and new fans will find a young Bruce relatable as he struggles to figure out how to become a hero.

The message of this book is that everyone has a strength. You may not notice it easily if others around you don’t have the same strength. But by trying new things and pursuing your goals, you will find your strengths.

Poor young Bruce Wayne is having a hard time being the only kid in school without super powers. I loved this! It was so fun and full of references to DC that made the story really interesting to read.

A MG Bruce Wayne origin story by Stuart Gibbs!
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Bruce Wayne attends middle school at an exclusive prep school for kids with super-powers. He doesn’t have any. The only reason he’s allowed to attend is because now-deceased parents paid for the school. But Bruce wants to be special like his classmates. When he helps save someone from bullies Jack Napier and his hired bully Bane, Bruce decides to become Batman and be the vigilante Gotham needs!
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Told in Gibbs’ trademark humor, this DC comic was everything I wanted—even with the awesome cliffhanger ending! I loved the artwork as well by @pekmezci & can’t wait for this to be published on March 14!

CW: parental death (recounted), bullying, violence

I really enjoyed this graphic novel about young Bruce Wayne. The drawing was excellent and there were many funny parts.

Thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment for the advanced copy!

I'm surprised to say I'm unfamiliar with the author, Stuart Gibbs, who appears to be a popular children's author. I'm also unfamiliar with the artist, Berat Pekmezci, but looked him up and his art is stunning (this book looks great too, of course!).

So I requested this because I was intrigued by the idea of a comic following Bruce Wayne as a young boy. It feels like this is a time that is often skipped over - those years between his parents' deaths and his decision to train to become Batman... except this is not that. This is an AU where the superheroes (and villains!) all exist as themselves but as kids? All the same age? And they all live in Gotham and go to a middle school specifically for superpowered children, but where Bruce Wayne also goes to school (because his parents funded it??)?? They even have a teenaged Wonder Woman... what. There's a whole introduction where he goes on about who all goes to the school, makes a big deal about it being against the rules to attend if you DON'T have powers (the exception being him), but then an art panel shows Harley Quinn?? Who doesn't have superpowers last I checked?? Ditto for Lex Luthor? Dick Grayson? There's a ton of other kids here without superpowers! At least they show the Joker faking his way in by pretending to see/control ghosts, but does that mean the others did the same? I'd believe Harley and Lex, but Dick??

Then there's the fact that they all bully him - including the teachers and administrators. Boy-next-door Clark Kent even bullies and attacks him. What is this story. And then the end is one of the cheesiest things I've ever read, which I don't want to spoil but will say was supremely stupid.

I found the whole thing befuddling, and I imagine any kid who reads this and then goes looking for more will just be disappointed because this is so different (also, it's not like kids are unfamiliar with the characters, like I know my niece and nephew would be confused by this). And I read and enjoyed the super babies series!

I'm sorry but I can't recommend this strange, and strangely written, story to anyone. I mean, it can't even follow its own logic. Was this even edited? I don't understand it.

Quick Summary: A pre-debut origin story

My Review: Bruce Wayne: Not Super written by Stuart Gibbs with art by Berat Pekmezci tells the pre-debut origin story of the dark hero-vigilante aka Batman. This colorful, well-illustrated work uncovers the seemingly ordinary life of a normie whose only presenting plus is his wealth...or so it seems. In this book, the young loner is on a quest to fight for justice, despite having no super strength, no super speed, no super dexterity, no super anything.

What I Loved About This Book:
- I loved seeing Bruce Wayne as a young, awkward, kid who is trying to understand who he truly is. At the core of who he was, he still knew that there was more that he could do.

- I loved that Bruce, as well as Dick Grayson, his younger companion, had determination. In spite of what some might consider to be limitations, they did not back down from what they ultimately wanted to do.

- I loved re-imagining the heroes as youngsters. I appreciated that the younger versions of themselves had not yet established their positions. In most instances, who they would become in the future wasn't even on their radars. Only approximately five characters showed emerging signs of being self-aware. I could tell they were beginning to figure out their paths of choice. (Actually, I could have said six characters, if Alfred is included.)

- Speaking of Alfred, I loved his sense of humor. He was a pill in this story. He totally cracked me up.

- I loved the attitude from the protagonist, as well as from the main antagonist. Everything was shaped so well, regarding that relationship.

- I loved how the art work put the story in the proper perspective. It was quite brilliant. From the beginning, I was eager to see how the story would play out and how the characters would be displayed.

- I loved the ending! It properly set up the next chapter in what I hope will be an ongoing series.

My Final Say: Young readers will love this upper elementary/middle grade graphic novel. It is light, engaging, entertaining.

Other: I loved the age appropriate lessons and experiences demonstrated in this work. The characters questions about who they were and what they wanted rang true. They were curious about wanting to try different things. That also came across as authentic. At the end of the day, it was a fun read with little life lessons hidden in plain sight.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: Ages 8 and up

Sincere appreciation and thanks are extended to the author, to the illustrator, to DC Entertainment, to DC Comics, and to NetGalley, who provided access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have excitedly and voluntarily shared are my own.

Bruce Wayne is the only kid at his middle school without some kind of special powers. He wants to make a difference in Gotham but he thinks he doesn’t stand a chance compared to all of the other students with impressive skills. Bruce Wayne: Not Super follows Bruce’s journey to finding out what makes him special.

This middle grade graphic novel is very well done. I was already familiar with much of the author, Stuart Gibbs’ work. His style and sense of humor carry over well to this type of comic. The illustrations pair nicely and are done in a lighter style than more adult Batman comics.

Bruce Wayne: Not Super would be a good introductory book for younger Batman fans or a fun addition for collectors of any age to add to their stash.

I don’t know if the author has worked with DC before but I’d love to see more collaborations in the future for more middle grade graphic novels.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and DC Entertainment (DC Comics)!

Was a really fun read especially if you're a DC geek. Love the idea of all these superhero's and villains in one school there's a lot of fun things they can do with this.

What do you do when you go to an exclusive prep school for the gifted...and you have no super-powers? For 13 year old Bruce Wayne, all he wants is to be a vigilante and help people but finding a way to do that is a lot harder than it seems when don’t have super powers like super speed like Barry Allan or super strength like Clark Kent. Bruce wants to make a difference, so despite not having powers he’s going to have to figure out a way to help others with just his brain. When Bruce discovers another student doing evil, it’s up to him to find a way to stop him before other students are harmed. This was a cute new take on middle-school Bruce and his origin story of wanting to become a vigilante and starting off his Batman career. Young Bruce here still has the one important thing about Bruce: he just wants to help people. Bruce is just an ordinary (albeit super rich) guy who has to figure out how to use his own skills and talents in a world filled with super powered individuals. Overall, a fun take on Bruce’s journey to becoming Batman and definitely a unique one.

*Thanks Netgalley and DC Entertainment, DC Comics for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*