Review of "Young Allies," by Sean McKeever et. al.

Review of

Young Allies, by Sean McKeever et. al. ISBN 9780785148685

Five out of five stars

 The five young superhero allies are all in their teens and are dealing with major life difficulties along with engaging in the hero business. Each of them is struggling with the events of their past and how they fit into their world as people, and that does not include the mighty powers they possess. Those characteristics compound matters as they engage in basic philosophical discussions of whether or not to kill their adversaries.

 Their adversaries are a group of unwanted children of super villains bent on killing the innocent and destroying property in order to become Internet celebrities and just because they can. This sets up a series of titanic battles where one side must operate within a basic set of rules of engagement while the other side is willing to kill thousands. One of the villains tells one of the heroes, “Sure, I killed all those people here and in Ohio and everywhere else ‘cause it was fun.”

 While this is a fundamental battle between good and evil, the relentless teen angst on both sides makes this a story that both genders of readers can relate to. Nearly all of this is expressed in the dialog, take away the references to their powers and they talk like uncertain teens.

 The action is intense, superbly expressed in the artwork. This is a graphic novel designed to appeal to young readers by involving characters on both sides of the good/evil divide that modern teens can relate to.