DC Comics First Look At New YA Graphic Novel ‘Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero’

DC Comics have announced a new YA graphic novel introducing an all new superhero to Gotham City. called Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero. Written by YA author E. Lockhart and illustrator Manuel Preitano, this new graphic novel is due out next summer and, as you’d expect from such books, it’s a coming-of-age drama about “perseverance, heroism, and finding your voice to make change in your community.” So, not a book about the one hit wonder late 80s Hip Hop band of the same name then? Shame.

“Set in a reimagined Gotham City, Whistle follows 16-year-old Willow Zimmerman as she struggles to make ends meet during her mother’s cancer treatments. A series of odd jobs leads to a life-altering accident that leaves Willow with a “sixth sense” that is as much a blessing as a curse.”

This is Lockhart’s first work for DC Comics and her new hero, Whistle, is inspired by her Jewish heritage:

“Whistle is a hero like me. Like you, maybe. She’s an ordinary person who sees what’s wrong in her city and feels powerless to right it—until she isn’t. Whistle is a social activist, a secular Jewish person, and a teenage girl working to support her mother through sickness—all elements I haven’t seen so much in superhero comics. The story explores the dark, ethically compromised side of a superhero’s life as well as the empowerment. There’s the thrill of corruption and the lure of riches on the one hand, versus an activist’s belief in the rights of her community members on the other.”

Ans, she’s also keen to tackle some of the more iconic characters roaming Gotham City too:

“Whistle has to ally herself with the best of Gotham’s criminal underworld in order to understand the forces that threaten her home neighborhood. DC let me pick from the incredible gallery of Gotham rogues—characters I grew up reading about. It was a thrill to write Killer Croc, the Riddler, and most fun of all, Poison Ivy.”

Look out for Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero this May 11th 2021 from DC Comics