What a fantastic and important story! A great look into a real world issue of teenage boys being radicalized online. I think this book a is a great way to for teen readers to start the conversation about it. It is great to see a Superman story delve into such a necessary and current problem. Highly recommend!

This is the Superman we're all familiar with, but updated for Gen Z. Jobs, attitudes, and language are all modern and very 2023, as are the conflicts presented in this particular Superman tale, but somehow everyone is still themselves!

I especially enjoyed the dialogue. These felt like real people that I know, and I was especially impressed with Sina Grace writing modern teenagers so well. Will some of it be dated in a few years? Inevitably, but still enjoyable.

Clark's boy-next-door personality is front and center, as it should be in a classic Superman story, but so are those typical teenage problems of drifting from friends and falling in love... along with modern teenage problems like depression, suicide, school shooters, and the online radicalization of the youth into far-right ideologies. Not going to lie, for the first half of the comic I found it a bit much. I didn't see the inter-connectedness of the story right away and it felt more like those 80s tv "special episodes" but all in one episode. As it goes on though you see how it all goes together, and then the final message is quite obvious.

Will this be a divisive comic? I think so, just for the fact that incels and online extremism is main conflict. I recommend anyone not in the mood for "politics" to give Harvests of Youth a shot though, because this is a wonderful and optimistic update of Superman as a character, bringing him into 2023 in a way that modern teenagers can better relate to. Like it or not, these are the sorts of things kids are dealing with these days and it makes sense for them to be addressed or become topics of focus, and that's par for the course for comics - there's a long history of the medium giving voice to current events and societal issues.

This is probably my favorite Superman story that I've read in a long time.

A thoughtful and intriguing look at young Clark Kent. The book shows the super-powered Clark at his most human; flawed, confused, smothering. His good intentions cause problems, and the problems he faces cannot all be solved with a punch. I liked this one a great deal more than I expected, and would love to see more written about this period in Clark's life.

As someone who's not a big Superman fan, I really enjoyed this. As someone who works with teens we are in desperate need of stories that show the alienation of young (particularly) white men. This book does it in a really phenomenal way and treats it with the care it deserves.

Sina Grace's Superman: The Harvests of Youth feels like a very 2023 take on a young Superman that almost makes Clark Kent as a character feel anachronistic, but not in a bad way. In particular, themes of teen suicide and online radicalization really make this book feel of the moment and retaining Clark Kent's classic "big blue boy scout" personality highlights what really works about Superman as a character that leaning into the cynicism that less considered modern updates would not. This book paired with the My Adventures with Superman animated series paints a future for modern interpretations of Superman that's made me more interested in the character than I ever have been.

Lex Luthor does kinda look like Boss Baby in this comic though, so make of that what you will.

Wow! This book was a lot heavier than I was expecting, but in the best way possible.

Clark is a teenager, with all of the worries and all of the angst of a normal teenager, but he has so much more pressure in the form of his powers. He feels over responsible for what everyone is going through because he’s different.

I loved that he worked through some of these self imposed expectations. And how he sort of kept messing up. It was refreshing to see a seemingly perfect character (as perceived by the audience and to some extent the other characters) failed and still picked himself up. The pressure he goes through is relatable, as a former perfectionist. I liked seeing him strive for good while still struggling with perfection.

And seeing him with another love interest, and those worries and nerves that come with early life and dating was sweet.

I’d rec it for teens, but definitely trigger warning for suicide and sibling loss.

I really never expected anything like this out of a Superhero Comic, especially from a big publisher like DC. It depicted the rabbit hole that is so easily accessed by young people (and all people really) that can lead them down a path of hatred and bigotry, and made it clear that not even Superman can just wipe it out. It's something that's solved piece by piece with community aid and mutual support. The artwork was great, action sequences were great, it was funny, it was sad. All in all really solid and I never thought I would enjoy it but here we are.

Superman: The Harvests of Youth will be published on October 3, 2023. DC Comics provided an early galley for review.

Grace's artwork along with the colors by Cris Peter capture that small town, midwestern vibe. They contribute to establishing the setting of Smallville which has always been a critical element to the young Superman mythos. Growing up in the Bronze Age of comics, Superboy's adventures were very much a mainstay of my reading. So, in some respects, this book radiates the feeling of "being home".

Grace has also tapped into the high school vibe quite well. Clark, Pete, Lana, Chloe, Gil and Amy all act and sound like teenagers of the most recent generation. The story is clearly set in recent times, with gaming consoles and cell phones and fancy coffees all part of these teens' lifestyle.

The main story line is a heavy one, showing that even the greatest of powers are of little use in certain situations. The themes are something that will especially resonate with younger readers- those who have grown up in the 21st Century with all the challenges their generations have had to endure. It is very much a story of innocence lost and having to wrestle with the complex issues that come with growing towards adulthood. At one point, Clark and Lana are talking about how Clark's parents advised him to cope with the situation. Clark tells her that his parents never had to deal with this stuff when they were young. This sentiment rang true to me. Yes, in the 80's I had classmates in high school who passed before graduation, but it was mostly due to automobile accidents and the like. We compartmentalized emotions and feelings, instead focusing on moving forward. Maybe that isn't always the right way to deal with situations.

Superman: The Harvests of Youth tells a solid story and will definitely resonate with the right audience.

This is a small town, slice-of-life story that envelopes the "Superman is an alien raised on Earth" narrative, rather than it feeling like either the center of the story or incidental. It IS a big deal to teenage Clark, whose quiet defiance of his parents' rules is one of a hundred choices he has to determine how he balances his powers, destiny, and humanity in a Midwest town that earns its name of Smallville. There are no meteorite-powered classmates, no Starbucks, and a high unemployment rate after factory shutdowns. And there also happens to be a kid with X-ray vision trying to figure out how to be a hero in the absence of villains.

Sina Grace does such a good job of capturing the ways teens can be connected and disconnected. Unlike most media, which acts like the kids disappear when they're not in the same room–and they're almost always in the same room–Grace never forgets each character has an inner and outer life. Lana's independence means that she and Clark are friends who come together as easily as they are apart, and Pete's supportiveness can be overshadowed by sports, video games, and girls. Their abrasive friend Gil lacks empathy over the recent suicide of a classmate, which isn't uncommon in teenagers, and they care about him anyway.

The ways the kids come and go in this feel so much more like my high school experience than most teenage comics, let alone teenage superhero comics.

And I have even't really mentioned the plot yet...which honestly I'm not going to, but you see some familiar faces in new ways that feel as natural as Clark using his super strength and speed to do his chores.

All in all, just a great book that isn't afraid to revel in the quiet moments, and feels like one of the most *Superman* books I've read in a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley, DC Comics, DC Entertainment, and Sina Grace for the opportunity yo read this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Warning: heavy emotional content including suicide.

What an interesting way to see Superman. Clark in high school and hides his powers from the people of Smallville. When a student commits suicide, Clark undergoes his own investigation, thinking there is a leading cause linked to a local hate group. By happenstance, Clark befriends (and kind of unofficially dates) Amy, the sister of the boy who killed himself.

Amy being targeted by the hate group and her own depression at the loss of her brother brings her into a negative space. Similarly, Gil, one of Clark's friends, hurts his ankle during skating and may never skateboard again. This brings Gil into his own pool of anger as he attempts to join the hate group, unbeknownst to everyone else.

We also have a little bit of Lux Luthor interaction, as Luther Corp is looking to buy/use a ton of empty Smallville land. We get a glimpse of what the corporation is up to.

A really great graphic novel dealing with more mature themes (suicide, grief, and taking the world upon one's shoulders), along with exploring relationships, including friends, family, and romance. I absolutely adored the final pages of this book and find it to wrap up nicely as a stand-alone, though as it is Superman, there is certainly promise for more.

**After some minor research to see if Amy and Alvin Buenaventura make other appearances in the DC universe only to find Alvin being named in honor of comic book artist Alvin Buenaventura who passed away in 2016.