That’s right, some of our favorite DC characters, including Wonder Woman and Superman, are about to get the YA treatment, thanks to Random House.
Whether or not you loved DC’s latest offering in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, there’s no denying that — as fans — we’re always clamoring for the latest interpretations of our favorite characters, whatever medium that happens to be in. And now, beginning in 2017, we’re going to have to make a little room on our bookshelves for four brand-new YA novels from the DC universe, being published by Random House.
And which heroes are about to get a YA makeover, courtesy of four best selling authors? None other than Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman and Catwoman.
According to the press release from Random House, “Each of the four YA novels will feature one DC Comics Super Hero icon, and will embrace themes of good vs. evil, coming-of-age romance, and Super Heroes from unexpected places who have the determination to achieve seemingly impossible dreams.”
Wonder Woman will be the first of the four novels released, at the end of August 2017 (hot on the heels of her highly anticipated solo movie), and is being penned by Leigh Bardugo, the best selling author of the Grisha trilogy — which is currently in development over at Dreamworks for a book-to-film adaptation, helmed by David Heyman. Our Amazonian warrior princess will certainly be in good hands with Bardugo.
The remaining novels will follow Wonder Woman in order: Batman, by Marie Lu (Legend trilogy), Superman, by Matt de la Peña (The Living), and Catwoman, by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass series). We’d be lying if we said we weren’t excited by these powerhouse authors taking on these characters, and will be eagerly anticipating these books hitting our shelves.
“Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, and Catwoman have been fan favorites for so long, and it is an incredible honor for us to now have this group of acclaimed young adult authors become part of the legacy,” said Mallory Loehr (Senior Vice President, Publisher of the Random House Books for Young Readers Group), who helped negotiate the deal alongside Michelle H. Nagler (Associate Publishing Director, Random House Children’s Books), and Dennis R. Shealy (Editorial Director of Licensed Publishing, Random House/Golden Books Young Readers Group). “We know there is a vast audience of teen and adult readers worldwide who will join in our excitement.”
The news follows the recent publication of a Wonder Woman middle-grade book, Wonder Woman at Super Hero High, the first in a series by Lisa Yee. The book is a tie-in to the fantastic animated series, DC Super Hero Girls — which may be a not-so-secret favorite of this particular writer.