SUPERDREW AND THE LEGACY OF DONHIL CORP

SuperDrew is back and ready for the final showdown against the Donhil Corporation.

Drew and his allies, including his equally nerdy family and his friends—journalist Jazz, programmer Ward, and maker Tay—are facing the terrible reality that they’re the only ones still awake in a world put into a forced sleep by Donhil. They must break into company headquarters to foil the CEO, Chatana Lungowe, who’s imprisoned creative geniuses’ minds for her own selfish ends. Pierson maintains a strong pace through numerous spycraft set pieces, as Drew and company make their way through Donhil, encountering clever traps. The work highlights themes of societal justice and sinister capitalism, and Drew’s expanded cohort also brings a sense of cohesion and teamwork that makes this outing stronger interpersonally than the previous entry. The action still tends toward the repetitive, however, and the explicitly spelled-out lessons and Drew’s inspirational inner monologues feel heavy-handed. Drew, who’s dealing with a broken arm on top of his existing disability, which requires him to use braces, is allowed to perform his superheroics without any moralizing about taking physical risks. Offered the chance to be cured by Ms. Lungowe, he continues to grapple with internalized ableism before reaching a place of disability positivity. In a cast where most characters present white (Jazz reads Chinese American), the world’s most evil person has names cuing South Asian and African heritage.

Returning series fans will appreciate this largely satisfying wrap-up.