DC’s Batman, Wonder Woman join Ordinary People Change the World book series

Writer Brad Meltzer and cartoonist Chris Eliopoulos’ Ordinary People Change the World books have been entertaining kids and satisfying parents for a decade, even inspiring the PBS cartoon series Xavier Riddle, the Secret Museum. But the duo are about to take their biographies of historical figures for the five-to-eight-year-old set somewhere they’ve never gone before: the DC Comics universe.

Polygon can exclusively announce DC Comics’ partnership with Penguin Random House to produce Stories Change the World, a series of biographical picture books based on the lives of DC superheroes. Meltzer will start things with Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman’s Trinity.

“My life was changed by Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman,” Meltzer said in a statement. “They’re part of the American mythology — and like Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, Muhammad Ali, or any other hero we’ve featured, their stories persist becaContact use they reveal something about us. This new line of books lets us feature the characters and creators, reminding kids about the true power of imagination.”

Christopher Eliopoulos

Christopher Eliopoulos

Although it might sound odd for a series that focuses on the achievements of real-life figures such as Jane Goodall or Neil Armstrong, to expand into fictional characters such as Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent or Diana Prince, it is logical. Polygon spoke with Metzler over email. He said that all of it fell under the same umbrella: he wanted to inspire children and keep them entertained.

“These books exist because I want my kids to have better values than what society seems to be feeding them online,” Metzler says. “I am SupermanIt’s all about kindness and being kind. I am BatmanIt is all about determination I am Wonder WomanIt is all about justice and strong women. These are two values that seem to be in danger these days. As a child, these values were the ones I was taught by my favorite characters. It’s an idea that’s endlessly powerful.”

The Ordinary People Change the World formula didn’t need much changing to adapt to superheroes, according to Metzler, who says “A good story is a good story.” And each book concludes by featuring the comics creators — many unsung — who crafted that story over the decades. “I love that kids get to see that,” Metzler tells Polygon.

Batman, I amAnd I Am SupermanIn September 2022 the following items will be on sale: I Am Wonder WomanFollowing in 2023