During the process of trying to decide who she wants to be, Danny enjoys having Calamity as a friend who knows about her transition and her superpowers and who accepts both. She can also choose to assume the name of Dreadnought, the hero who gave her powers. Choosing what cape to wear, if any, is a complication. This breaks Danny’s isolation, which arguably does more to further Danny’s emotional transition than the superpowers that make Danny feel invulnerable.ĭanny’s “becoming a superhero” story is pretty fun. However, Danny also finds allies: the accepting and protective whitecape Doc Impossible and a graycape, Calamity, who is about Danny’s age. Danny is immediately screened by the Legion, where she is bullied by Greywytch (who does not believe that transgender women are legitimately women). Danny can choose what cape to wear, if any. Greycapes are less villainous than blackcapes but more morally flexible than whitecapes. Danny, who narrates the story, tends to preface comments about the future with “If I don’t kill myself…” She feels completely isolated.ĭanny is not the only superhero in town. There’s no mention of any LGBT-friendly groups that Danny could turn to (maybe they don’t exist there, or maybe Danny fears exposure too much to approach them). Her only friend, David, makes a sexual proposition after Danny’s transformation and, when Danny turns him down, David responds by saying that he hopes that Danny will get raped.

Her father is abusive and obsessed with masculinity. After her body is transformed, she still has to hide the fact that this body is her preferred body. Danny is completely miserable about being transgender because she can’t tell anyone. The coming out as transgender story is a parade of wretchedness. There are two stories going on – the “coming out as transgender” story and the “becoming a superhero” story. Danny (who now uses the name ‘Danny’ as a nickname for ‘Danielle’) has super strength, invulnerability, and the power of flight, as well as the appearance of a beautiful young woman. As a side effect, Danny’s body transforms into the body of a teen girl. Before he dies, Dreadnought gives Danny his superpowers. Suddenly a superhero, Dreadnought, falls from the sky, casualty of an aerial battle.

This small act helps Danny, who is a transgender girl but deeply closeted, feel sane. The story opens with Danny, who is fifteen and assigned-male-at-birth, sneaking into an alley to apply toenail polish. It has fun elements but suffers from characters who are under-developed. This story about a transgender teen superhero is a coming-out story wrapped in a cape. Genre: LGBTQIA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adultĭreadnought is my catnip in concept and yet the book bugged me a little.

April daniels author