It occurred to me, when I first saw the cover for this comic, that I’m not quite the target demographic for it. I’m a 42-year-old man with no kids, and the title touts this as a story about princesses. Particularly upon seeing what looked like a unicorn in the cover art, I briefly worried that I might be about to read something… girly.

Then, I remembered that I’m a comic reviewer, not a fifth grade boy, and that plenty of great comics, and great stories in general, have been written about princesses, and that gender stereotypes are stupid. I further remembered that I’ve reviewed not one, but two different DC Super Hero Girls movies and enjoyed both of them, so why should DC Princesses be any different? Also, for what it’s worth, it wasn’t a unicorn on the cover, but a Pegasus named Jerry. Not that a unicorn wouldn’t have been awesome, too, but Pegasi are, in my opinion, incredibly underrepresented in fiction.

To top it all off, I looked at the back cover, and saw the words, “Get in! It’s time for a road trip… In Space!” printed in large, friendly letters. Which is enough to sell me on just about anything. Any trepidation I may have had immediately turned to excitement. Whatever this comic had in store, I was on board.

It’s a beautiful day in Metropolis, and the protégés of several of the Justice League’s major players are hanging out and having donuts: Yara (Wonder Girl), Natasha (Steel), and M’Gann (Miss Martian)—along with Yara’s Pegasus, the aforementioned Jerry. Kara (a.k.a. Supergirl) is also there, but she dips out just before the action starts and doesn’t show up again for the remainder of the comic.

The catalyst for that action takes the form of Maxima, Princess of the planet, Almerac. Well, almost princess. Her Ceremony of Ascension is rapidly approaching, wherein she will officially be given the title Princess of Almerac, surrounded by all her friends. She’s prepared her whole life for this day, and she has everything she needs—except friends. And so she recruits (or coerces) Yara, Natasha, and M’Gann to be her friends and accompany her to Almerac to stand with her at the ceremony, whether they want to or not.

So, our intrepid heroes set out together on a space road trip from Earth to Almerac, facing a number of obstacles along the way, as the time until the ceremony grows ever shorter. It also doesn’t help that, fairly soon into the trip, their spaceship is stolen, and they need to track it across the galaxy, visiting a number of interesting planets and meeting a number of interesting characters along the way. There’s a space diner, a galactic gift shop, a planet of sentient, floating, talking eyeballs, and more.

This comic is a lot of fun. It’s full of joy and humor and cool worlds and fun places, and at its core is friendship and a generally positive outlook about the world. It’s wholesome, but with a bit of a wink and a nod to the audience, and a touch of self-referential humor that keeps it from being sappy or saccharine.

In times that often seem bleak, this is the sort of thing we need more of—especially for children. It’s recommended for ages 8 to 12, but older kids and parents will find plenty to like about it, too. Girls will love it, and boys will love it. People who love superheroes, people who love space adventures… really just anybody. It’s a solid comic, and worth your time. Highly recommended.

Creative Team: Tilly Bridges & Susan Bridges (co-writers), Alba Glez (illustrator)
Publisher: DC Comics
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