Ten of the Best: Superhero books
Imogen Russell Williams dons the cape and chooses ten of the best superhero stories.
Superheroes can pose problems for writers: given powers that transcend human limitation, it’s tricky to ensure a protagonist faces enough adversity and challenge to serve the story. To young readers who lack agency, strength and size, however, the idea of superpowers has obvious appeal – and the tension between super and civilian, heroic and mundane is full of rich narrative potential (especially in a family of superheroes – or a family in which only some members have powers).
Although they’re an obvious source of inspiration for many of the characters and ideas here, I’ve steered clear of comics and graphic novels featuring famous characters from the Marvel and DC universes, focusing more on the domestic, quirky and unusual superheroes who’ve appeared in (mostly) recent children’s picture books and fiction: super robots, potatoes, grannies, and protagonists who may not have powers at all, but are nonetheless heroic.
Supergran
Forrest Wilson, illustrated by David McKee , Andersen Press, 978-1783444588, £6.99 pbk
When tartan-clad, tammy-wearing Granny Smith is accidentally zapped by rays from a super machine, she acquires a whole raft of unexpected powers. But the indomitable pensioner will need all her strength, speed and X-ray vision – not to mention her grandson Willie and his eccentric friend Edison – to defeat the machinations of the Inventor and his deadly devices. Illustrated with characteristically flat, round-eyed, expressive appeal by Elmer creator McKee, she first appeared in 1978, and became a runaway bestseller and TV show star, reissued in 2019 to delight a new cohort of 7+ readers with her crime-foiling escapades and her Scots invective (‘Scunners!’)
Flossie Teacake’s Fur Coat
Hunter Davies, Red Fox (O/P)
If superhero stories usually involve an element of transformation and a secret identity, Flossie Teacake qualifies – perhaps. This awkward, plump, put-upon nine-year-old is emphatically more of an antihero, however – when she pinches her big sister Bella’s fur coat and transforms into glamorous eighteen-year-old alter ego Floz, she’s not out to save the day but only for what she can get, whether that’s waitressing tips, free chips or having an ill-fated go at driving. Workshy, ruthless, miraculously prone to coming out on top, Floz/Flossie is an unlikely but compelling hero, and this hilarious wish-fulfilment fantasy may still resonate with contemporary children as much as it did with those who first read it in the 80s. (That stolen fur coat is ethically dubious now in more ways than one, but the description of the rich, lustrous weight of it and the transformative buttons very slowly fastening, bottom to top, is astonishingly memorable.)
Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too)
Keith Negley, Flying Eye Books, 978-1912497157, £7.99 pbk
This gorgeous picture book has a caped superhero on the cover, but not a cheesy grin or ‘attitude smirk’ in sight. In his eye-catching yellow, blue and black, Negley’s hero is downcast, with a single tear on his mask – and the pages of the book, light on text but heavy on impact, are filled with wrestlers, astronauts and ninjas overwhelmed by anger, sadness or frustration. The subtle framing narrative involves a boy playing at each of the characters in turn – but it’s the way in which each image confers quiet permission to express sorrow or rage, or to cry openly in situations and outfits associated with macho endurance, that makes it so understatedly special.
Supertato (and sequels)
Paul Linnet and Sue Hendra, Simon & Schuster, £6.99 pbk
Tubers can be heroes, too! A marvellously unlikely picture-book superhero, the hugely popular Supertato is called upon constantly to defend the hapless vegetables of the kitchen from the wily planning of the Evil Pea, escaped from the freezer on a mission of destruction. Supertato’s few, boiled-down attributes – a broad belt, a black eye mask, and a dazzling smile – are a splendid comic send-up of the superhero paradigm – and the tools at his disposal (‘his super strength…his super speed…a flannel and some soapy water’) a delicious mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous.
Pizzazz (and sequels)
Sophy Henn, Simon & Schuster, £6.99 pbk
This highly illustrated book for readers of about 6 or 7+ features a delightfully dysfunctional superhero family – and a protagonist who hates her embarrassing power, waiting until the last possible moment to reveal it. Pizzazz’s Mum (hero name Atomic), Dad (Ore) and little sister (Red Dragon) are always out there doing what heroes do, slinging meteorites away from Earth or demanding Pizzazz participate as they put a stop to archvillains’ evil plans. But it’s not till Pizzazz becomes an eco-monitor at her new school, and discovers a plan to build a car park over a community green space, that she discovers the confidence to step up and protest – and to deploy her mysterious power, to great effect. A lovely, warm-hearted look at family dynamics and self-esteem, with engaging and often hilarious artwork.
Mega Robo Bros: Power Up (and sequels)
Neill Cameron, David Fickling Books, £8.99 pbk
Freddy and Alex are brothers like any others – they fight over comics, wind each other up with fart jokes and songs about butts, and compete to drive their parents crazy. They also happen to be the world’s most powerful robots, engineered by their genius scientist mum. When another super-powered mech appears, intent on causing mayhem and destruction, it’s up to Freddy and Alex to stop the evil Robot 23 – but what’s his connection to them? And will they be able to control their powers long enough to defeat him? Atmospheric, transporting artwork, acutely observed sibling dynamics and thought-provoking ideas about society, ethics and identity interweave brilliantly in this outstanding graphic novel series.
Cyborg Cat: The Rise of the Parson’s Road Gang (and sequels)
Ade Adepitan, illustrated by Carl Pearce, Piccadilly Press, £5.99 pbk
Moving to London from Nigeria is tough for Ade – especially because he has to wear a caliper on his leg. When ignorant people in his new neighbourhood comment rudely on his skin colour and his disability, he feels as though he’ll never fit in – but Ade loves to play football, and when his teammates discover how well he plays, they realise he must actually be a superpowered cyborg – half human, half machine! This series by the Paralympian wheelchair basketball star, drawing on his own childhood experience, focuses on friendship, acceptance and wild adventure, and challenges preconceptions of disability and powerlessness throughout.
The Boy With Wings
Lenny Henry, illustrated by Keenon Ferrell, comic-book elements by Mark Buckingham, Macmillan Children’s Books, 978-1529067835, £12.99 hbk
Tunde is picked on by school bullies, but otherwise he’s just an average kid – except that his parents won’t ever let him run. One day, defying them, he leaps for the ball in a football match and rises into the air on a huge, newly-sprouted pair of wings. As Tunde discovers the truth about his parentage, a terrifying threat to Earth materialises – one that only the boy with wings might be able to prevent… Henry’s first book for children is as funny as might be expected, but it’s also quietly thoughtful and poignant, examining ideas of heritage, family, love and belonging in a way that lifts the Chosen One trope out of the territory of cliché.
My Brother is a Superhero (and sequels)
David Solomons, Nosy Crow, £7.99 pbk
Eleven-year-old Luke is comics-mad, so it’s horribly unfair that his older brother Zack – whose comics knowledge is precisely zero – should be given superpowers by a visiting alien while Luke’s having an ill-timed wee. When Zack’s kidnapped by his arch-nemesis, though, Luke’s forced to slough off his sulk and enlist his friends to try and rescue his brother – with only five days to save both Zack and the world…Peppered with perfectly-judged pop culture references and glorious, silly-clever humour of the most addictive kind, Solomons’ book and its sequels slyly investigate the complex bonds between siblings and friends, sometimes strained by jealousy and misunderstanding, but strong enough to withstand even the most determined attack.
Jason Reynolds and Raul the Third, Knights Of, 978-1913311247, £7.99 pbk
Ten-year-old Portico Reeves has a secret hero identity: Stuntboy, keeping those around him safe by taking their falls. There’s a lot of people in his apartment block, aka castle, and Stuntboy looks after them all, hindered somewhat by his nemesis, Herbert Singletary the Worst. Even as himself, Portico doesn’t have it easy – his parents are separating, and he’s plagued by anxiety (aka ‘the worry wriggles’) every time a voice is raised and they enter the Mean Time. But with the help of his ebullient best friend Zola, he’ll find a way to win out in the end…A mixture of highly illustrated chapter book and graphic novel, this funny, sweet, humane take on a child’s overdeveloped sense of responsibility and need to protect those dear to him will resonate particularly with anxious, overthinking kids.
Imogen Russell Williams is a journalist and editorial consultant specialising in children’s literature and YA.
