BAD DREAM

A transgender teen alien discovers superpowers and queer community in this work by actor Maines, who played Dreamer in the TV show Supergirl.

Nia doesn’t fit in in her “Nowhere, USA” community. Even in a rural town where half the residents are aliens, Nia is all too aware that “somehow, I’m the weirdo.” But when Nia, who’s dad is human, discovers that she’s unwittingly inherited the precognitive powers that her sister has been training her whole life for, she decides to run away to the big city of Metropolis. There she meets other trans and queer girls (including a trans alien like herself) and even attends a ballroom competition before her family’s past catches up with her. This is the best kind of story about a trans character: one where the core plot is interesting and compelling whether the main character is trans or not, yet being trans affects the character and their life in realistic ways, and their identity isn’t merely tacked on. This graphic novel manages to satisfy both as a transgender coming-of-age story and an alien-filled superhero origin story. Readers don’t even need to be DC Comics fans to enjoy it. Nia Nal and everyone on her side are likable and easy to root for. The art, awash in vibrant colors, is beautiful and expressive while remaining unfussy and imaginative. Nia reads white; two of her new Metropolis friends have dark brown skin, and the third is purple-skinned.

A sweet, engaging, and beautifully executed adventure.