Sometimes, a young adult book comes along that feels like an important step in helping kids cope with a world that doesn’t make sense. Superman: The Harvests of Youth is one such example. Out this week, Sina Grace writes and draws a story that deals with toxic online communities, bullying, suicide, and the feeling of having no control as an adolescent. This isn’t a superhero comic that’s wall-to-wall action, but a melodrama where each character is well-rounded and deeply real.
It’s pretty obvious a lot of time went into Superman: The Harvests of Youth. Announced over two years ago, Grace’s graphic novel takes time and care to develop its cast of characters with Superman at the center of it. A high schooler, Superman has his powers, but he’s relatively new at being a hero. His pa has taught him to save others, but how do you save them when their problems are deeply emotional? You can’t punch depression or thoughts of suicide.
Superman will wrack his brain to solve these questions while doing his best to be a good school newspaper reporter and an even better boyfriend. Grace captures a lot of the tension we’ve all felt in high school, and it’s powerful in how some friends push you away even when they need you the most. Superman’s friend group includes Pete, Chloe, Lana, and Gilbert. Only Pete knows his secret identity, while the others have been his close friends for some time. Their lives get upended when their classmate Amy’s brother commits suicide, sending some of the characters spiraling.
Imagine flying to school.
Credit: DC Comics
It’s through Amy that Superman tries to do the most good. Grace shows Superman’s propensity to save others through the nurturing and care he gives Amy, especially when things get more serious and they start going on dates. Heroics certainly occur using his powers, but mostly in quick scenes so as not to give away the fact that he has powers. Superman isn’t yet a superhero, just a high schooler trying to do his best, but Grace shows his growth in finding solace in using his powers when he needs to.
Online toxic influence is a large part of Superman: The Harvests of Youth, which is a very important topic, especially for younger readers. We learn early on there are message boards and chat rooms where the influence of hateful people is affecting some of the kids in Smallville. Grace makes it clear the town itself is idyllic, but with the influence of online hate, the real damage is being done. We see that in Gilbert, who falls prey to these influences and develops a hatred that builds till the graphic novel’s climax.
The art has a very pleasing feel, which suits the setting of Smallville. From the detail to the use of warm hues by Cris Peter, the visuals make the characters relatable and feel real. Like most YA graphic novels, the layout structure is simpler and easy to follow. Letters by Andworld Design are clean and easy to read, with a clever repeating theme of captions covering dialogue to convey Superman’s wandering thoughts.
Fans of Superman will enjoy the depiction of Lex Luthor, who is a new kid in town thanks to his dad bringing their business to Smallville. He’s got a posh sense about him, and while he’s not evil, you can see he’s pretty uncaring. The fact that his first appearance is in debate club, and he’s arguing against affirmative action is all you need to know. Lana is also well-written and should please fans how she’s strong and self-motivated throughout the graphic novel.
Superman is also compelling, acting as the audience surrogate but also being familiar enough to understand. He cares, probably too much on human scales, and his inability to find answers to his friend’s problems is painful for him. He may not be stopping trains from crashing into people, but his superpower of wanting to help others is evident from the very start. I’d argue a little more use of his powers could have added to the reading experience, but it succeeds masterfully as a story about teens learning how to deal with the pressures of life.
I can only hope many teenagers get to read Superman: The Harvests of Youth. There’s a strong lesson in this graphic novel about not letting online influence warp your worldview while also conveying that an important part of growing up is caring about others. You may have friends who are distant or seemingly angry at you, and Grace tries to show we’re all going through stuff in our own complicated ways. Being there with open arms is key, and as Superman reminds us, that’s a superpower we can all use more of.
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