Willow is a dog lover, athlete, activist, and student at Gotham City's Down River High School, but her mother's cancer has her feeling helpless. After money troubles lead her to ex family friend E. Nigma (aka the Riddler), she accepts a lucrative job running his illegal gambling ring. This puts her in the crosshairs of the murderous Killer Croc, a near shave with whom leaves her wounded d with dog superpowers, including enhanced senses and comical canine impulses. Meanwhile, someone is overrunning the architecture of Down River with plants. Donning the identity of Whistle, Willow investigates the floral assault and discovers a plot by Riddler and Poison Ivy to take over her beloved, historic Jewish neighborhood. This striking superhero debut narrows the scope, less concerned with epic adventure than establishing Willow and Down River, which, in the capable hands of Lockhart and Preitano, are fully fleshed out and deeply sympathetic. Themes of community activism, real-world struggles, and a touch of romance will make this a new favorite for fans of the current trend toward teenage superheroes.

A Jewish social activist who loves dogs: Meet DC's newest superhero.Origin story 101: a difficult backstory (Willow's mother has cancer and they can't afford treatment); the onset of powers (a Killer Croc attack somehow makes Willow able to communicate with the stray dog she's befriended); the moral quandary (Willow's financial savior is her mother's estranged friend E. Nigma, better known to DC fans as the Riddler); and finally, the decision to take on a secret identity (the titular Whistle). The script offers some exciting changes to the formula: Willow Zimmerman is explicitly Jewish, while (new to DC lore) neighborhood Down River has a multiethnic, Lower East Side feel-and teenage Willow is emphatically not a sidekick. The dialogue lacks subtlety but moves the story along, although the overreliance on expository captions highlights the fact that the versatile Lockhart hasn't previously worked in comics. The moody illustrations pair easy-to-follow large panels with occasional full-page spreads. Warm orange fills Willow's scenes and conveys her warmth and fire for justice; when the action moves to E. Nigma and Pammie Isley (another Gotham villain), the cool white and greens predominate, fitting the calculated machinations happening off-page. As befits an origin story, the superhero/vigilante element is relegated to the back half. The villains read as White; the background cast reflects the diversity of New York City.An intriguing introduction. (Graphic adventure. 11-14)

Gr 8 Up Sixteen-year-old Willow Zimmerman lives in Down River, a borough of Gotham City. She is an activist for school funding and befriends a new classmate, Garfield, who has just moved to town after growing up in Nigeria. She works late shifts at an animal shelter to help support her mother, who is battling cancer. An opportunity arises when her mom's old friend E. Nigma comes to town offering Willow a large salary for helping organize exclusive events for his friends and clients. Willow accepts, and the money is an enormous help, but she begins neglecting Garfield. She also befriends Pammie Isley, a die-hard environmentalist and one of Nigma's cohorts. The first two-thirds or so of this story is a street-level view of Gotham City as led by a spunky, conscientious teenager. There are references to and cameos from the DC universe, but Willow is definitely the star. Willow and her mom are Jewish, and there is information about Gotham's Jewish history and culture, dialogue about mitzvahs and tikkun olam, and settings ranging from a synagogue to stores with names like Moishe's, Rosen Bros. Delicatessen, and Shelsky's Bagels. Willow struggles to balance personal, social, and professional goals, especially when a big payday requires her to compromise her morals. The third act, in which Willow quickly gains and uses some canine powers to foil Nigma and Isley's criminal enterprise, feels out of place and unnecessary. Preitano's sharp, angular art depicts Willow and Gotham as having many layers and sidessuperheroics somehow drain the color from both. Willow, her mother, E. Nigma, and Pammie are white; Garfield is Black. VERDICT Willow's street-level perspective of Gotham City makes for a unique, if uneven, adventure in activism and morality.Thomas Maluck, Richland Lib., SC