Whistle by E Lockhart and Manuel Preitano
My Rating: 4 stars!
Cover Rating: 10/10 the cover is stunning. The color scheme, the dynamic duo front and center. It’s beautiful.
Publisher: DC comics
Publish Date: September 7th, 2021
Number of Pages: 208
Received: I received a physical copy in partnership with DC comics.
Purchase: Amazon
Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author E. Lockhart (Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars) and artist Manuel Preitano (The Oracle Code) comes a new Gotham City superhero in this exciting YA graphic novel.
Sixteen-year-old Willow Zimmerman has something to say. When she’s not on the streets protesting City Hall’s neglect of her run-down Gotham neighborhood, she’s working nights at the local dog shelter. But despite how much she does for the world around her, she’s struggling to take care of her sick mother at home. She’s got no time for boys (though there’s one she really likes), and no means to adopt the amazingly loyal stray Great Dane, Lebowitz, that follows her around.
Without health insurance and with money running out, a desperate Willow reconnects with an estranged family friend E. Nigma–party promoter, and real estate tycoon. Nigma opens the door to an easier life, offering Willow a new job hosting his glamorous private poker nights with Gotham City’s elites. Now Willow is able to afford critical medical treatments for her mother and get a taste of the high life she’s never had.
Then everything changes: Willow and Lebowitz are attacked by one of Gotham’s most horrific villains, the monstrous Killer Croc. When they wake after the fight, they can understand each other. And Willow has powers she never dreamed of.
When Willow discovers that Nigma and his poker buddies are actually some of Gotham’s most corrupt criminals, she must make a choice: remain loyal to the man who saved her mother’s life, or use her new powers to save her community.
Opening Page:
Musings:
Whistle shows how easy it can be to see things in a grey area. Willow is a girl that cares very much about the environment and often goes to protests and volunteers. Her job helping animals doesn’t pay so much, but she loved helping the dogs everyday. She also worries a lot about her mom who has cancer and is worried that they can’t pay the bills so when ‘E. Nigma’ (a.k.a the riddle (also her uncle)) offers her a job that’ll pay her well enough to easily take care of all expenses, she easily says yes.
Very soon her new job begins to change her and setting up these illegal gambling parties starts to turn her into this new person who never has time to volunteer or help a cause and her crush notices.
An encounter with Killer Croc changes all that. Willow and the stray dog she’d cared for get injured by killer croc and their DNA gets tied together. With their new found powers, Willow decides on what kind of hero she’d like to be.
I really enjoyed seeing poison Ivy in this story. The ultimate understandable villain trying to save the ecosystem who makes herself known by greening buildings.
In this really neat way it’s like poison Ivy reminds Willow of who she always was:
A person who worked towards making the world better for the environment and the people and creatures who live there. The person that her crush really loved being around.
I love how rich it’s been to discuss the story. Yet, one of my favorite things about this comic is the art. It’s such a consistent and gorgeous style throughout. My absolute favorite panel is this one:
The artwork is stunning. There’s a bit of green to everything almost always. The parts without it are the parts where she hasn’t been touched by villainy and I found that to be a really neat touch.
All in all:
I really had a great time reading this! I very much recommend ‘Whistle’. Willow is a hero whose adventures I’d love to see continuing on in the future.
THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
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The Book Raven 
Great review! I’m such a E Lockhart fan. Her writing mesmerised me and this sounds so so good
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Yesss I loved it! I definitely recommend to pick up Whistle!
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