DC Super Hero Girls, Graphic Novel No. 3 - Summer Olympus

The DC SuperHero Girls are back in their third graphic novel - but sadly, this story does not quite hold up as well as the previous two did.  The concept is not so bad - it's summer vacation, and the heroes of Super Hero High School are all planning their vacation trips.  Wonder Woman gets an invite from her god-father, Zeus, to spend some time on Mount Olympus, and she is welcome to bring as many friends as she wants.  Sounds like a great set up for having these young heroes have a hey-day in the home of the Greek gods, right?

Unfortunately, that's not the direction it goes.  Rather, writer Shea Fontana, who has written two rather enjoyable stories prior to this one, instead chooses to have all of Wonder Woman's friends abandon her for other summer adventures, leaving only Bumblebee to accompany Wonder Woman on her journey to Olympus.  Summer Olympus becomes one of Wonder Woman feeling sorry for herself and upon arriving at Olympus, meeting her half-sister, Siracca, who, like her, is a half-god, half human.  They wallow in self-pity at being different and suffer through silly "dad jokes" from Zeus.  Yes, I realize these stories are aimed for younger readers, but this one felt a little too dumbed-down for my taste.

On the brighter side, Fontana and artist Yancey Labat provided brief snippets of the other students' summer hijinks, which include a summer tour in Europe with Batgirl, Katana, and Beast Boy.  The reason these interludes are more enjoyable is because the three young heroes find themselves following the theft of Greek artifacts from various museums throughout Europe.  With the help of Hawkgirl, they discover the connection the items have and what it could mean for their friend, Wonder Woman.  They head to Olympus to warn her, but it's too late...

And this is when the story actually gets good.  It seems two of the gods have some ideas of their own, and they intend to use the items they have gathered to cause strife and discourse throughout the world, beginning with Metropolis.  Once again, it's up to the DC SuperHero Girls to swoop in and save the day!  The last two chapters are what ultimately redeem the story, saving the graphic novel from being a complete disappointment.  I have really loved this entire DC SuperHero Girls line of books, toys, Legos, etc., so my standard is already set high.   Hopefully the next graphic novel will be back up to par.

RATING:  5 amulets of harmonia out of 10 for showing the comic world that female super heroes can stand on their own!