April Daniels: Dreadnought (2016, Diversion Publishing Corp.)
English language
Published Nov. 17, 2016 by Diversion Publishing Corp..
What happens when a trans* girl who is not out to her family accidentally inherits superpowers? Things change, a lot.
Superheroes aren't even my thing but I really enjoyed Dreadnought. It's got some solid worldbuilding, itself undergirded by a sophisticated but still compassionate worldview. Characters are well drawn and even if they are derived from tropes, their development delves underneath those tropes to reveal complexities underneath.
There were a lot of familiar superhero tropes here, but the protagonist was from such an underrepresented perspective that everything felt fresh.
In interviews, Daniels will directly say this is a power fantasy to make trans girls feel strong, and Dreadnought sticks to that mission. However, Daniels resists the temptation to give her hero a perfect transition, and she deals with both fantasy and down to earth versions of realistic struggles.
It's always tricky to create a new superhero continuity from scratch. It's easy to see the fingerprints of Marvel and DC, and difficult not to feel like you're reading the store brand. The most successful attempts, like the Incredibles, stay tightly focused on the central characters. Daniels (mostly) succeeds here, but I'll be interested to see how the world evolves as the focus broadens a bit.
Looking forward to the second book (already in my Kindle) and hope we …
There were a lot of familiar superhero tropes here, but the protagonist was from such an underrepresented perspective that everything felt fresh.
In interviews, Daniels will directly say this is a power fantasy to make trans girls feel strong, and Dreadnought sticks to that mission. However, Daniels resists the temptation to give her hero a perfect transition, and she deals with both fantasy and down to earth versions of realistic struggles.
It's always tricky to create a new superhero continuity from scratch. It's easy to see the fingerprints of Marvel and DC, and difficult not to feel like you're reading the store brand. The most successful attempts, like the Incredibles, stay tightly focused on the central characters. Daniels (mostly) succeeds here, but I'll be interested to see how the world evolves as the focus broadens a bit.
Looking forward to the second book (already in my Kindle) and hope we get the third someday.
