DC Super Hero Girls, Graphic Novel No. 8 - Spaced Out

And thus we come to the final (at least, for me) DC Super Hero Girls graphic novel. It's been a good run, more or less, and while not every one of the eight graphic novels were exceptional, I'd say that more were good than were not.  It has been fun reading stories that were not continuity heavy, they weren't all doom and gloom, and the heroes, while less than perfect, were still - - well, heroes! With these young women (and the few young men), they may have doubted themselves and their abilities, but there was never any question of what was right and wrong.  The stories were lighthearted, the adventures time- and universe-spanning, and the villains ultimately vanquished as they should be in any good superhero comic.  But, alas, for reasons unknown to me, DC decided that these well-drawn characters and good-natured stories were just not good enough - so, they redesigned the Super Hero Girls (with art that I absolutely hate!) and changed the tone of the stories (from what was light-hearted and fun to what comes across as silly and childish) and introduced a whole new DC Super Hero Girls...but more on that later...

"Spaced Out" introduces Jessica Cruz Green Lantern to the DC Super Hero Girls universe.  As in the DC Universe proper, this Jessica Cruz is fearful and not overly confident with her power ring.  The story opens in Coach Wildcat's training class, where Jessica backs away from a fight with a monkey. Of course, she becomes even more afraid when Principal Waller informs her she must go to Oa, the planet of the Green Lanterns, for her official induction ceremony.  Of course, she's not going alone - Big Barda, Star Sapphire, and Supergirl are going with her (along with a stowaway, but I won't spoil that surprise!).  Thus, the girls' space adventure begins!

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Wonder Woman is supposed to be watching Krypto. But when Krypto takes off after Catwoman's cat, then gets loose in Metropolis and finds a stray dog with her litter, it takes Wonder Woman, Batgirl (along with Ace, the Bathound), Flash, and the whole DC Super Hero Girls crew to track down the missing dog.  As such, readers are treated to two adventures within this one graphic novel!

It is fun to watch Jessica Cruz not only learn more about herself and her power ring through this adventure, but to see how she grows in courage with the help of her friends.  The use of Zod, Non, and Faora as the villains was perfect, as it gave some simple conflict with Supergirl's desire to reconnect with people from her homeworld, while at the same time, utilizing villains with strength far above that of the other heroes - meaning that they have to work together to overcome the Kryptonian criminals.  Writer Shea Fontana provides a very satisfying story (or should I say stories), and Agnes Garbowska provides art that blends seamlessly into the series (kind of a shame this is the last one, as her art was beautiful).

The book does at least acknowledge it's finality in the series, as writer Sholly Fisch and artist Marcelo DiChiara provide a mini-back-up story that has Zatanna showing the Super Hero Girls an alternate reality, where Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman are criminals, the girls all have secret identities, and instead of Super Hero High, they are attending Metropolis High.  It is an introduction to the new art style for the series, as well as a first look at the changes in the characters.  I'm not a fan of this new direction, so rather than collecting it simply for the sake of completing a series, I've decided that this graphic novel will end my DC Super Hero Girls collection.  And such a shame, as it has been a real jewel in the DC Comics world, and it's a shame that DC felt the need to change it.

So, goodbye DC Super Hero Girls - it was  true pleasure reading your stories and sharing in your adventures, and know that this fan will miss the fun-loving stories that you've had along the way!

RATING:  9 bowls of Slurp-O-Slop ice cream out of 10 for giving the girls two fantastic stories as a fun-tabulous send off!