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

This was SOMETHING. It really tackles the intensity and brainwashing of some online forums and how they prey upon people in their weak moments. It covers grief, if only briefly, as well as friendship and one’s sense of belonging. I loved the mural at the end using the Superman symbol.

In a weird way, this felt a little bit like a slice-of-life Superman story. I love getting to see young Clark.

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this and I think this is one of the best superhero YA graphic novels out the bunch that have been made over the past couple of years. Superman: The Harvests of Youth places Clark Kent in the modern day with a friend group after a student at their school commits suicide. Clark and some of his friends start to investigate a symbol that ends up being connected to a radicalized online group (essentially incels). There is also a bit of commentary on corporations vs. local businesses, as the Luthors buy land in Smallville to set up a tech factory. I really adored Kent's friend group; each character had a very distinct personality and I could imagine what their lives were like. The relationship drama, personal interests, afterschool jobs, wrestling with morality and the big questions of life, made this feel very true to life. I appreciated how cohesive the plot was here; it felt like everything came together without many loose threads. My only qualm with this book is how things wrapped up with the online group - obviously there is more to the story, and it also felt at times like the book was trying to paint incels in a sympathetic light. Maybe this is more a credit to Sina Grace's characterization, but I found myself feeling bad for Gil, who was blinded by the things people online were telling him and lost the ability to see the way his real friends were trying to help him. Grace just did such a great job bringing these characters to life in the modern day, and this book doesn't shy away from the big issues and feelings that are relevant for high schoolers these days. I'd love to read more books in this universe and from Sina Grace in the future!

Over the past few months, I've been getting more into Superman stories, and this was an exciting read to add to my list. The art is stunning and perfectly teen-hero, with awkwardness and heroism wrapped up into a nostalgic, yet modern, tale. I loved it and will be recommending to my comic-reading friends and customers!

A tender and surprising way to use Superman to explore a nuanced issue. One of the best superhero stories I've read in a while.

I had a hard time putting this graphic novel down. The story starts off right away with a classmate taking their own life. This rocks this small town, and Clark wonders what caused them to do it. Once they start investigating, it seems a strange site may be behind it. While this is going on, he starts seeing someone for a while and they have some great times together. When someone tries to do something bad at a town event, this superhero springs into action. As this graphic novel comes to a close, it looks like Clark learned a few good lessons along the way.

This was a lot heavier and overtly moralizing than I'm used to from comics. Can't believe there's actually a version of Clark that I can't stand. I didn't particularly like the art style either, which didn't help me get into the story at all.

I did not expect this to be as dark or as serious as it turned out to be. To be honest, whenever I think of DC, I think of the more campy versions of the comics and tv shows. I liked that this seemed to be a one-shot and can appreciate it for what it is, and the artwork is actually pretty good too. However, I can't give it 5 stars because even though I understand the message, there was a bit of redundancy. I think as a woman reading this, it was just a little too weird and maybe I wasn't the audience for this. I enjoyed it overall though and if continuations were released in this series, I would be interested in reading them.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This is basically Superman v. toxic masculinity set during Clark Kent's time in high school.

I did like it and think that it conveys an important message about toxic masculinity. However, it felt really heavy handed and almost preachy throughout. It's an important topic but I don't know that the way it's told will resonate with those who most need to hear it.

As a Superman fan, I was already biased toward this work, and it did not disappoint. I haven't finished it yet, but I love it. This book makes the Superman story accessible to a modern generation of young people, giving the characters a new breath of fresh air without taking anything away from the original mythos. It is first and foremost a coming-of-age tale with some superheroics thrown in, but Clark (not Superman) is the center of the narrative. For my patrons who do not like typical superhero tales, this should give them a good excuse to give the genre another try.

This is a spoiler free review.

Superman: The Harvests of Youth is a dark modern reimagining of a young teenage Clark Kent / Superboy story. I enjoyed reading this modern Superman graphic novel. It's not what I expected and tackles a lot of modern issues that all teenagers deal with. I think it's great that even a Superman deals with doubts and even feels overwhelmed at times. Clark Kent is just like all of us, he has fears, self doubt and needs help sometime. This story showed me that everyone, even a Superman, needs help sometime and it's ok to ask for it. It's a great lesson to tell young people.

This graphic novel is a different feeling Superman tale which is what drew me in. The story reminds me of Smallville but much darker in tone. Superman: The Harvests of Youth is definitely geared towards a younger audience but I think all Superman fans will find something they enjoy and relate to in this interesting graphic novel.

The story begins on a very sad note with the death of a student who committed suicide. The poor kid who died was also friends with Clark Kent. All of Smallville mourns this tragic death in different ways. Clark, Lana, and their new friend Amy try to solve some of the questions surrounding this very sad death. All of this really hit home for me because a long time ago a dear friend of mine hurt herself and died shortly after I graduated from college. So the beginning of Superman: The Harvests of Youth was upsetting to me but I pushed on and read the entire YA graphic novel.

Superman: The Harvests of Youth is a different Superman story which is what made me want to continue reading it. Most Superman comics don’t deal with such dark themes as suicide. So that made me want to see how Clark and his friends would deal with tragedy at such a young ages. I remember it being so hard for me so I appreciated what Clark and friends go through during this comic.

The only other Superman comic I can remember being this sad besides the death of Superman comics is the 1993 Superman 84 by Dan Jurgens where the Toyman murders Cat Grant's son, Adam Grant. That was an awful sad story which evoked emotion from all fans who read it. That was the first time I read a Superman comic where it dealt with such an emotional dark topic as the death of a child. It's good to see Superman: The Harvests of Youth shows us comics can still cover such dark topics today.

That being said I was hoping there would be more light hearted moments and heroics from Clark but it was fun to see an uncertain youth trying to cope with High school drama and his growing powers... I liked how in the beginning of this graphic novel Clark enjoys sitting on his parents roof and looking at the sky and the farm, this is a peaceful place for Clark. Then as the story progresses we see Clark discover how much flying is also an escape for him. Then finally towards the end of the book Clark flies holding his Kryptonian blanket with the House of El symbol for hope, the Superman S in full view. This made me so happy and gave me hope that Clark would find the right path to help his friends.

The artwork in Superman: The Harvests of Youth is awesome. The illustrations really compliment the tone of the story so well. I felt like there was a lot of sad somber colors used in the background which added to the melancholy tone of the book. I really liked how there was a lot of movement and turmoil in the artwork at times. It felt like there was always a breeze passing by Clark and his friends which showed all the changes each character is dealing with it. Well done, great job having the illustrations and story working hand in hand to immerse the readers.

If you are a fan of Superman or teenage drama this is the book for you. Superman: The Harvests of Youth is entertaining and also very sad. This story will draw you in and it's worth reading!

Stay awesome and keep reading!


Superman: The Harvests of Youth

Written and Illustrated by Sina Grace

This is definitely a new take on the Superman origin. 20+ years after Smallville premiered, Sina Grace provides a thoroughly modern and fresh take on Clark Kent's teen years. Focusing on the radicalization of teenage boys through internet forums is very interesting, and I was happy to see that it was balanced against the classic "Pa Kent vs. Luthor Corp" struggle.

I want to start by saying I am not a Superman fan. So I am not familiar with all of his lore and stories. I can't say if this is cannon or close to the stories, but I can say it was a lot of fun and I think kids will enjoy it. It is written and illustrated by Sina Grace with colors by Cris Peter and Letters by AndWorlds DC Hopkins. The art was cute, the mystery was interesting. Letters don't take away from art or the story. A well done comic.

4 stars

I'm not a big fan of superhero comics, but Smallville is a sentimental favorite, so I decided to give this one a shot.
Clark Kent was pretty whiny and underwhelming in this story. The rest of the supporting cast was flat and unremarkable, except Amy. I liked the character and her storyline.
All in all, not great, but not awful.

Thanks to NetGalley & DC for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know, I think I would've liked it more if it didn't try to tackle so many themes. There was a lot going on and not much development was given to each character. I appreciate the realistic angles though, but I didn't like how a book about Superman/Clark Kent really didn't focus too much on Clark himself. Still, a solid addition to the YA DC GN collection.

Lex Luthor drawn to look like Bobby Hill kept throwing me off...

More like 2.5 stars but rounding up because I love Superman. This definitely follows more CW's Smallville canon with the characters they included. This story follows Clark Kent in high school still figuring himself out within his friend group and dealing with the aftermath of a student that commits suicide. I appreciate a superhero story dealing with mental health issues, but it still seems to fall short. The classic villain that makes an appearance and seems to be orchestrating everything was fun but nothing came of it. I am not sure this is going to be a whole series but it left a lot to be desired so I am hoping that it gets hashed out in further issues. All in all, not a bad story and it was a quick read but I will probably forget this plot by the next book i pick up.

I've read a few Superman comics and while I did enjoy them, I think that this is one of the better starting points than a lot of others that are out there. In this we get to see Clark deal with things that he can't fix with his powers - suicide, hate, and death to name a few. I really liked seeing him explore that side of humanity, the hopelessness and loneliness that we can all sometimes succumb to. His douchey friend being a jerk plot line wasn't really that riveting to me but I did like the overall arc of the story here. The artwork was also fantastic and made this book a pleasure to read. Overall, if you are looking for a starting point for Superman I think this is a great place to jump in.

I've heard people talk about how Superman stories are boring. If he can do everything, survive most anything, what's there to write about besides the latest villain of the week getting his hands on some kryptonite?

Stories like this showcase why that doesn't have to be the case. You can't always punch your problems away. Solutions aren't always neat or pretty. Sometimes the answers are just not quite there yet. Ironically, sometimes with Superman you just have to focus on the human side of things.

This story was disquieting and sad at times. Life's complicated and messy. But it ended with hope, and I appreciate that on both a personal level and for a Superman story. This was a good read, and I'm definitely getting it for my library.

This graphic novel, based on the classic Superman backstory but updated for modern times, addresses serious issues in a sensitive and relatable way. Clark Kent - not yet Superman at this point in time - is a high school student in Smallville, when one of his classmates commits suicide, apparently spurred on by an online hate group called Darby-Roo, backed by Mister Mxyzptlk. Throughout this graphic novel, Clark and his friends deal with the issues that many teens face today: peer pressure, depression, family problems, friends growing up and away, and more. These issues are presented in a clear, concise, and yet sensitive manner, leading to the importance of community of all sorts. This is a well-written volume with a depth of feeling, and in addition to being a good novel over all, would also be a good discussion starter for anyone facing similar issues. Recommended for high school and adults.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.