DC Graphic Novels for Kids, formerly known as DC Zoom, is a DC Comics imprint aiming at a younger audience. Similar to its sister imprint DC Ink, it publishes graphic novels instead of single issues and releases them both in comic book stores and traditional bookstores. Another similarity between the two is that DC Zoom bets on getting writers who are outside of the comics scene, but possess mainstream appeal and already established fanbases among YA and kids' literature fans. However, unlike DC Ink, DC Zoom also tries to bring back creators of previously successful children's-oriented titles.
Compare Wonder Comics, another DC Imprint aimed at teens and kids but using more traditional publishing methods and utilizing writers with prior comics experience.
Also compare with DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, a similar DC Comics imprint focused on graphic novels aimed for young adult readers.
Titles published under DC Zoom/Graphic Novels for Kids
DC Zoom releases
- DC Super Hero Girls: Search for Atlantis
- Super Sons: The Polarshield Project, written by Ridley Pearson and illustrated by Ile Gonzalez (The Heroes Club), follows sons of Batman and Superman in a world where their parents failed to stop melting ice caps and rising sea levels that put entire Gotham underwater.
- DC Super Hero Girls: Spaced Out - written by Shea Fontana and illustrated by Agnes Garbowska (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (IDW)), collection of the final series of digital comics in original DC Super Hero Girls Universe
- Dear Justice League written by Michael Northrop (Tomb Quest) and illustrated by Gustavo Duarte (Bizarro), is a series of short stories where members of the Justice League try to answer...questions from children.
- Superman of Smallville by Tiny Titans creators Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani, will take a look at 14-years old future Man of Steel as he faces his greatest challenge yet - high school.
- Secret Spiral of the Swamp Kid by Kirk Scroggs (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), written and drawn entirely as a first-person journal of Russel Weinwright, a boy possessing plant-based body and powers, who seeks out Swamp Thing to teach him how to use them.
- DC Super Hero Girls 2019: At Metropolis High - written by Amy Wolfram (Teen Titans) and illustrated by veteran DCSHG artist Yancey Labat, a first original graphic novel in the world of DC new animated series.
- Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries) and Cara McGee (Bingo Love), tells a story of 13 years old Dinah Lance as she must discover her family's secrets to understand who is a mysterious figure hell-bent on tormenting her.
- Super Sons: The Foxglove Mission - a sequel by the same creative team.
DC Graphic Novels for Kids
- Diana, Princess of the Amazons written by Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by Victoria Ying
, tells a story of 11-years old Diana as she tries to find, or make, a friend on an island where she is the only child. - Green Lantern: Legacy written by Minh Lê (Let Me Finish) and illustrated by Andie Tong (graphic novel adaptation of The Blade Itself) is a story of Tai Pham, a young Vietnamese American boy who inherits from his grandmother a strange jade ring...
- Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime by Li'l Gotham creators Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs, will be retellings of classic children fairy tales with Batfamily members and villains alike.
- Zatanna and the House of Secrets - Written by Matthew Cody (Villainous) and illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani
- Batman: Overdrive written by Shea Fortana (DC Super Hero Girls) with illustrations by Marcelo Di Chiara (Teen Titans Go! comics), features young Bruce Wayne as he immerses himself in trying to fix his father's old car.
- DC Super Hero Girls: Powerless
- Anti/Hero (2020) an original story written by Kate Karyus Quinn and Demitria Lunetta (Among The Shadows) and illustrated by Maca Gil (http://macagilart.blogspot.com/)
- My Video Game Ate My Homework, original story written and illustrated by Dustin Hansen (Microsaurus)
- Superman Smashes the Klan a TPB of a maxi-series written by Gene Yang (New Super-Man) and illustrated by Gurihiru (The Unbelievable Gwenpool, The Unstoppable Wasp). An adaptation of The Clan of the Fiery Cross from the The Adventures of Superman radio serial in which Superman fought against the KKK, often credited with exposing Klan's true nature to the public.
- Primer (June 23, 2020): Written by Thomas Krajewski and Jennifer Munro (Star Wars: Forces of Destiny) and illustrated by Gretel Lusky.
- Teen Titans Go! To Camp written by Sholly Fisch (Scooby-Doo! Team-Up) and illustrated by TBA
- Lois Lane and the Friendship Challenge written by Grace Ellis (Lumberjanes) and illustrated by Brittney Williams (Samurai Jack comics from IDW Publishing)
- DC Super Hero Girls: Midterms
- Super Sons: Escape to Landis - the third book in the series.
- Teen Titans Go! Roll With It Written by Heather Nuhfer and P.C. Morrissey, who wrote previous tie-in comics for the show, and illustrated by TBA
- Arkhamaniacs, humorous take on DC villains from the creative team behind Tiny Titans, Art Baltazar and Franco.
- We Found a Monster
- Flash Facts
- Dear Super-Villains:, sequel by the same creative team, now the letters being answered by the bad guys of DC Universe.
- Metropolis Grove written and illustrated by Drew Brockington (Castronauts)
- The Mystery of the Meanest Teacher: A Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel written by Ryan North (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) and illustrated by Derek Charm (Jughead)
- Indestructibles: The First Fracture original story written by Ridley Pearson (The Kingdom Keepers) and illustrated by TBA
- Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld written by Shannon and Dean Hale (The Princess in Black) and illustrated by TBA
- Batman and Robin...and Howard written and illustrated by Jeffrey Brown (Vader and Son)
- Green Arrow: Stranded – Written by Brendan Deneen (Outlander) and illustrated by Caleb Hosalla
- Green Lantern: Alliance
- Shazam Thundercrack
Tropes Appearing in DC Graphic Novels for Kids Titles:
- Age Lift: A number of titles feature well-known DC heroes as kids or teenagers. In case of the DC Trinity, it is by telling past stories supposed to happen in their youth, while with titles based on both DC Super Hero Girls series it is a part of the course for these shows.
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: Zig-zagged with Green Lantern in Legacy. While the book plays it straight on a meta level - Tai Pham, a Vietnamese-American boy, enters in a role most commonly associated with Hal Jordan, a white man - in-universe it is inverted as he is a male replacement to his grandmother.
- Ascended Extra: The character of Roberta Lee, one of the protagonists of Superman Smashes the Klan is based on an unnamed daughter in the original radio play.
- Cool Car: It is implied that Overdrive will be the origins of the Batmobile.
- Dolled-Up Installment: Main criticism of Super Sons is that it feels like an original story that was only slightly changed to be about Jon and Damian.
- Legacy Character: Russel to Swamp Thing and Tai to Green Lantern., his grandmother in Tai's case
- Lighter and Softer: All around. Even already optimistic Superman feels this way when done in the kid-friendly style of Tiny Titans. Taken to an extreme in Secret Spiral which sees Swamp Thing, a horror character, as a mentor of the main protagonist. Swamp Thing himself even lampshades it, telling the protagonist "I'm afraid my life is no place for a kid. It's seriously R-rated."
- And then taken even further with John Constantine of all people, even if it isn't the first take of a more Lighter and Softer John Constantine.
- The Mentor: Swamp Thing will play this role to the Swamp Kid. It also appears John Stewart will assume this position for Tai Pham in Legacy.
- Race Lift: Super Sons books grew a lot of ire due to Damian Wayne in them not being the son of Talia Al Ghul and thus white, instead of part-Arab and part-Chinese.
- Superdickery: Subverted. A trailer for Dear Justice League shows Superman smugly reading a question asking if he ever messes up, as if he finds such idea laughable. This is immediately followed by him replying that yes, he does mess up, even badly sometimes.
