SUPERDREW AND THE BETRAYAL OF DONHIL CORP

In this follow-up to SuperDrew and the Secrets of Donhil Corp (2021), Andrew Stirling is still struggling to take down the evil company that’s controlling humanity with its modified-food, media, and lifestyle products.

Ultra-clever Drew is a self-described geek and an impulsive, justice-oriented inventor. Wearing arm and leg braces made with advanced technology for a bone condition, he uses his tech to perform feats that come close to superheroism. After uncovering Donhil Corporation’s sinister machinations with best friend Jazz Liu-Wen, an intrepid investigative journalist, the teens team up with two employees to take it down from the inside. They discover that the truth of Donhil’s crimes is more horrifying than they ever imagined. The story is fully committed to breakneck video game–esque spy adventures, and it wastes no time in dropping readers into the action, with plenty of major set pieces that are sometimes repetitive and overburdened with pop culture references. For every obstacle they face, Drew and company have a gadget and an ingenious plan, but the escapism comes with a lesson about standing up for people’s autonomy at any cost. While the portrayal of Drew’s internalized ableism is sometimes muddled, his experience of disability is interesting: He pushes past his own limits but still faces realistic consequences. His exciting tech can’t erase his struggles with his own self-image, but he still holds his own. Drew reads white; Jazz is cued Chinese American.

Pulpy thrills with a solid message.