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Book Information

Title: Detention of Doom – Secret Hero Society

Author: Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen

Series: Yes – Book #3

Rating: 4 out of 5

Genres: Graphic Novel, Superhero (DC), Action and Adventure, Mystery, Humor

Publisher & Published Date: Scholastic Inc. 2018, 175 pages

Book Summary

“When Lex Luthor's family company, Lexcorp, invites kids from all over the country to attend an honors ceremony, Clark Kent is happy to participate. That is, until his award trophy creates a portal to another dimension and sucks him in! Lucky for Clark (Superman), his old friends Bruce (Batman) and Diana (Wonder Woman) along with newer friends Barry (The Flash) and Ollie (Green Arrow) are on the case! They'll have to travel to an alternate dimension to free their friend from Lex Luthor's grasp (and the worst detention ever) in this all-new adventure from Eisner Award winner Dustin Nguyen and Eisner Award nominee Derek Fridolfs.”

Book Review

Our story starts with the three friends receiving awards for academic achievements and community outreach. All seems well, but the Luthor Foundation sponsors the awards, so readers know something more sinister is at play. And sure enough, while admiring his trophy, Clark disappears, leaving Bruce and Diana struggling to find out what happened. Along the way, Ollie, Barry, and Victor join in to help them, and by accident, they are all sent to a frightening dimension where shadows are out to get them, and none of their powers or abilities work. They have to work together to get back home and bring those responsible to justice!

I liked that their adventure in this book is in the Phantom Zone (sorry – Phantom Detention). The point of view is back to Bruce, and he is just as sarcastic and witty as ever. There’s one scene where Clark jumps in (literally) to save his friends from the phantoms and uses Bruce’s costume as a torch to scare the ghosts away. While Bruce makes a note to make his next costume fire-resistant, he is salty towards Clark about it for the remainder of their journey. It’s so hilarious and is so in tune with who these two boys are. It’s like a problem that their adult counterparts in the Justice League would have to deal with. These are still young children, not experienced warriors, and it was interesting to compare their actions in the book to what I imagine their older selves would do.

The banter and camaraderie between all the characters is also another highlight, particularly between Barry and Bruce. The two are complete opposites in many ways, and their conversations are some of my favorites in the book. Barry is an excitable, mischievous ball of energy that Bruce doesn’t know how to handle, and I am all here for it. The firm friendship between the original three is stronger than ever, and it is so heartwarming to see how strongly Bruce, Clark, and Diana care for each other. I’ve said this before, but I love stories in any medium with the three of them. These characters have such a long history together, and while they may disagree on various issues, they are first and foremost best friends.

While the story is not perfect, things are left vague or unanswered; it is still enjoyable. It brings in more members of the beloved Justice League to help the Big Three and provides character development to our main leads. I look forward to seeing what trouble these crazy kids get into next!

Memorable Quotes

“Good idea sneaking in here to change! Better than a phone booth, am I right?” – Barry

“Who changes in a phone booth? That’s silly.” – Bruce

“I hope my friend find me. But if they do, they’ll probably be stuck, too. So maybe it’s for the best that they don’t find me. This is my last note. If you find this, go back. You’ll be better off than me.” - Clark

“Clark was right. You did have a batcave under your house.” Diana

“Well, Clark’s a snoop! But I still want him to come back.” - Bruce

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