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A review by zanthems
Cruel Summer by Michael C. Bailey
5.0
The Action Figures series gets better with each installment, and this is no exception. There's a seriously creepy villain here, and the Hero Squad is badly shaken by the experiences that come with facing him.
But the real meat of this book isn't even about the superhero business. Bailey tangles with an ambitious range of life's most intense experiences here—death, powerlessness, alienation, prejudice, sexual awakening, and more—and each is handled with honesty. The depiction of bereavement is among the best I've ever seen. And the supervillain's influence threads through these experiences, amplifying and complicating them, rather than taking over the focus.
I look forward to seeing what's coming next.
But the real meat of this book isn't even about the superhero business. Bailey tangles with an ambitious range of life's most intense experiences here—death, powerlessness, alienation, prejudice, sexual awakening, and more—and each is handled with honesty. The depiction of bereavement is among the best I've ever seen. And the supervillain's influence threads through these experiences, amplifying and complicating them, rather than taking over the focus.
I look forward to seeing what's coming next.