DC's Misfits of Magic

by Matthew Dow Smith, Marie Javins (Editor), Kristy Quinn (Editor)

When these tweens team up, nothing can stop them!

Ricki Jones is your average middle-grader. Her fellow-orphan-turned-adopted-brother Ross is, too. The seven mystical monks training them to protect the Earth from dark supernatural forces are pretty standard adults—they want nothing more than a little peace over summer vacation and all their prior attempts to get the kids out of town led to the camps going out of business. So this year? Rikki and Ross are heading to the town library, where Zatanna Zatara took a camp counselor job she expects to regret.

And Rikki’s very normal. Everyone wants to investigate mysterious and strange events that could also mean the end of the world. Right? Everyone gathers a band of rogues and weirdoes to help. That’s just how friendship works!

It’s fate (not like, Dr. Fate, just regular fate) that brings her together with Danny Cassidy, the Blue Devil. He’s got ADHD and kinda fused with his Halloween costume, giving him demon powers. And Boston Brand, who died in a horrifying microfiche accident and roams the halls as Deadkid. And don’t forget June Moon, who changes into an incredibly powerful sorceress named The Enchantress. But don’t hold that against her, she’s really very sweet when she's not causing trouble.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy, Magic, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2025

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zatanna Zatara is running a summer program day camp for magic users at a far from normal library at the foot of the hills upon which sit the House of Secrets and the House of Mystery.

Rikki and Ross are the orphaned wards of a group of monks known as "The Seven," the same ones who trained Doctor Occult back in the day. While Ross fits in right away with the group doing arts and crafts, Rikki finds herself bored and drifting from the group, attracting other misfits who aren't gelling with the daily routine, like Blue Devil and Boston Brand. Soon enough they are bonding over a mysterious rash of magical misfires occurring around the library. Scooby group, activate!

In many ways, this could be dismissed as just another magic school story, but I really enjoyed the tone, dialogue, art, and the numerous easter eggs for long-time DC Comics fans.

[Martin Maenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

DC Comics provided an early galley for review.

This comic for kids takes some classic characters from DC's various eras of publishing and brings them together for a whole new audience. This looked like a fun romp that I wanted to check out.

Reading this took me back to the days of summer vacation as a kid. The artwork has a very clean but detailed style to it (giving me an indy comics vibe). The way that so many of DC's magic-related characters are reimagined works really well for the story too. Long time fans will enjoy the various Easter eggs throughout.

Both the young and young at heart will enjoy reading this seven-chapter comic story.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was cute, if a bit uneven. It was a nice read to introduce DC's mystic characters to a younger audience. Really liked the art, which reminded me of some 90s Flash animation work for some reason.

[Ian Mathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming read! Loved the art style, the choice of characters and the redesigns for the kid versions, and just the generally fun and low key vibe of this. I'd read more of it, for sure.

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

First you have to be able to let go of cannon. This is a great story, but while you will see hints and recognize who the character is, they are by no means the same age perfect matches to their original DC self. That being said this was so much fun. A couple kids need a new summer camp and they are going to the local library to be taught by Zatanna. So many familiar faces pop up and it was a plastic seeing all the Easter Eggs.

4 stars

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun middle grade adventure featuring teenage versions of several of DC's supernatural characters, plus a couple of new characters. At a summer library camp, there's a strange series of magical events that the teens have to solve. Nothing fancy, the real joy is how they interact with each other. Despite having supernatural powers, they still have ordinary teenage problems. In the end, they figure out how to work together, a typical message for this kind of book. Smith's artwork is bold and cartoony, a good match for a lighthearted tale such as this. If I was in the book's demographic, I'd probably give it at least 4 stars.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

In DC’s MISFITS OF MAGIC, after Ricki’s pursuit of magical investigations has led to them being banned from pretty much every summer camp, she and her brother Ross find themselves at a summer camp in the library with other supernatural teens. After observing some suspicious activity, they band together to solve a magical mystery. The mix of DC characters from across different eras paired with great artwork and clever humor makes a great intro to the DC universe while also appealing to those already familiar with the characters.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is a bit odd for me. I want to like it. It has good bones for the making a of a good middle grade or even YA. But it feels like it's being held back somehow. Maybe its the artwork that just... looks like it wasn't vectorized and the art got distorted. But over all this feet VERY baby. Not bad. Just not what I was hoping for.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a delightful little title for tweens. Set at a summer day camp in a library, the characters are loosely based on DC magical characters. The story is fine, but the art is a bit too childish for that age range. It looks like vector art,

[supermanax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable ! Loved the clean style and the bright blocks of color. A little Hogwarts-like adventure.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick story featuring magic and mystery in a library. It's a nice intro for kids to some of the DC characters.

ARC from Netgalley.

[Anna Frohling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue Devil is back! I have no complaints

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very young readers intro to the DC Universe world of magic. Cute, but very slight.

[ketall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was super cute! Camp counselor Zatanna is something I didn't think I needed! Also, the world could always use more Boston Brand and Blue Devil.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute fun quick read great for later elementary to middle school

[bug ⭐️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute starter graphic novel for kiddos or for when you want a short story that’s easy to follow :) enjoyed the art style