DC has revealed a new early reader graphic novel, You’re A Superhero!, written by Azie Tesfai and illustrated by Penelope Rivera Gaylord, set to release on November 3, 2026. Aimed at children ages 5 to 7, the 72-page book follows six-year-old Mariam, a superhero fan who starts to question why the heroes she sees on screen feel distant from her everyday life. Over the course of a day spent exploring her neighborhood with her mom, she begins to recognize the real-world heroes who keep her community running.
So what’s You’re A Superhero! about?
In You’re A Superhero!, Mariam wishes the heroes she sees on TV felt a little closer to home. But as she explores her neighborhood with her mom, she begins to notice the extraordinary people who make her community work: the building super who keeps everyone safe, the bus driver who knows every kid’s name, the electrician who brings light back to the block. Inspired by the real-life heroes around her, and by her super mom, Mariam learns the most important lesson of all: she is a superhero, too.
“I wrote this book because playing a superhero on television opened me up to a world filled with imagination, power, and possibility, one I hadn’t fully experienced when I was growing up,” shared Tesfai via People. “It made me think about how meaningful it would have been to meet these heroes at a younger age and to see myself reflected in that world from the very beginning. With this story, and as DC begins an exciting new chapter in the kids’ space, I wanted children to have that experience early on.”
“Telling the story through the lens of a young Ethiopian girl and her single mother allowed me to bring my culture into DC history for the first time, while inviting kids to meet some of the most iconic heroes, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batman, and The Flash, right alongside her,” continued Tesfai. “My hope is that You’re A Superhero! helps young readers fall in love with these legendary characters and, more importantly, recognize that the courage, strength, and imagination they admire already live inside them.”
Azie Tesfai is an actor, writer, and producer best known for her role on The CW’s Supergirl, while also making history as the first Ethiopian actor to portray a superhero on screen. During the show’s final season, Tesfai expanded her creative footprint by co-writing an episode, marking the beginning of her transition into behind-the-scenes storytelling. She is also recognized for her role on the Golden Globe–nominated Jane the Virgin, and has recently appeared in Matlock and Bel-Air.
The book goes on sale November 3, 2026, and is currently available for preorder through Penguin Random House.
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