Faith : Dreamside

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL -- After being framed for murder by a group of supervillains, telekinetic, flying Faith is stuck hiding out as her alter ego. As Summer, she's a short-haired, bespectacled journalist reporting on superheroes rather than rescuing others herself. But when she witnesses a child trapped in a car wreck, she can't help but rip off her wig and glasses to save the day. Of course this puts her back in the limelight, and she must go deeper into hiding. She connects with teenage superhero Monica Jim, also known as Animalia, a shape-shifter who is similarly persecuted for crimes she didn't commit-and who is seeing ghosts of her dead friends. Faith brings her to Doctor Mirage, a famous ghost expert. But when the ghosts drag Monica into the world of the dead, Faith and Doctor Mirage team up to bring her back. Faith is a charmingly self-assured superheroine. She is unabashedly geeky, and readers in the know will delight in her references to "Harry Potter," Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek. Despite being a fangirl's fangirl, Faith is no less a daring hero. The action scenes are dynamic and engaging: particularly terrifying is Monica's abduction by ghosts. Though this is a fantastic representation of plump heroines, it's a bit disheartening that the creators have relied on the stale trope of a sidekick of color who needs rescuing by the white protagonist. VERDICT A fast-paced and scary story for fans of superheroes, especially those who have enjoyed Faith's previous outings.

KIRKUS -- A female superhero dealing with personal PR issues heeds the call of a fellow hero in need of some spectral assistance. Faith Herbert isn't your ordinary young white woman: She can fly and move objects using her superpowers. However, she's in a slump after she-or rather her hero alter ego, Zephyr-was (wrongly!) accused of murder, so she's had to lie low as her alter alter ego, Summer Smith. Then, African-American teen hero Monica Jim (known as Animalia) asks for Faith's help in dealing with literal ghosts. The two seek out paranormal scientist Doctor Mirage. When the ghosts whisk Monica off to the Deadside, Faith and Doctor Mirage follow her into the spectral realm, which is waaay creepier than any of them expected, culminating in a place where lost dreams pose a very real threat. The characters have established history, but, as with most serial comic books, there's enough backstory to acquaint new readers with the stakes. At heart, Faith is a fangirl of many geekdom realms, real and world-specific, who banters like a pro. She's also large-bodied, a fact that's never critical to the narrative and thankfully never gets downplayed in the art. The illustrations are on par with any major comics label-detailed and dynamic with high color variations-and feature particularly expressive faces. For readers who are die-hard fans of superheroes, Faith is like the best self-insert fanfic while still being a totally original character. (Graphic novel. 15-adult)