I enjoy all-ages books as much as the next guy, but the Super Powers series, featuring the Justice League, is as elementary as you will ever find. It reads like a coloring book, without the sophistication of your average Super Friends episode. The artwork by Baltazar is completely cartoony, as if packaged for birthday party supplies, but the characters are easily recognizable.

In the latest issue, Joker has brought Darkseid to Earth, where he engages the super-heroes in battle. Imagine 7-year-olds playing with action figures; that pretty much summarizes the scenario, with all the drama of a neighborhood snowball fight. How they defeat Darkseid (because the good guys MUST win),is ambitious for such a juvenile story, but it’s completely serviceable.

As comic books go, it’s as far from Watchmen as one can possibly get, but that is part of its intent; to introduce the youngest of readers to the world of comics and super-heroes, and is suitable for a child to read to a parent.

In an age when comic book publishers are bemoaning the lack of new readers, this title is every bit as legitimate in building new audiences, without the heavy investment of major summer movies, or ambitious multi-issue events that may or may not strike a chord with readers. Catch ‘em while they’re young, build the familiarity, and see where it leads.