Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Superman | Tagged: Azie Tesfai, Penelope Rivera Gaylord, supergirl
Supergirl’s Azie Tesfai writes You’re A Superhero! graphic novel drawn by Penelope Rivera Gaylord from DC Comics in November 2026
Article Summary
Azie Tesfai, Supergirl actress and TV writer, releases her debut children’s graphic novel for DC Comics.
You’re A Superhero! follows six-year-old Mariam discovering real-life heroes in her own community.
The book celebrates Ethiopian culture and features Mariam and her single mother as main characters.
Illustrated by Penelope Rivera Gaylord, it launches November 3, 2026, inspiring young readers everywhere.
Azie Tesfai is best known for playing Ellie Olsen, The Guardian, on the Supergirl TV series, as well as for writing episodes for Jane the Virgin, Matlock, and Bel-Air, while selling an original pilot she wrote, The Chase, to Universal Television for NBC, and writing for Sheba. And now she has also written an early readers graphic novel, You’re A Superhero! for DC Comics, drawn by Penelope Rivera Gaylord for publication on the 3rd of November, ahead of Christmas.
“Created for readers ages 5–7, this uplifting story introduces young fans to six-year-old Mariam, a girl who loves superheroes but is not sure she sees them in her everyday world until she discovers that heroism is all around her. In You’re A Superhero!, Mariam wishes the heroes she sees on TV felt a little closer to home. But as she explores her neighborhood with her mom, she begins to notice the extraordinary people who make her community work: the building super who keeps everyone safe, the bus driver who knows every kid’s name, the electrician who brings light back to the block. Inspired by the real-life heroes around her, and by her super mom, Mariam learns the most important lesson of all: she is a superhero, too.”
“I wrote this book because playing a superhero on television opened me up to a world filled with imagination, power, and possibility, one I hadn’t fully experienced when I was growing up,” shared Tesfai. “It made me think about how meaningful it would have been to meet these heroes at a younger age and to see myself reflected in that world from the very beginning. With this story, and as DC begins an exciting new chapter in the kids’ space, I wanted children to have that experience early on. Telling the story through the lens of a young Ethiopian girl and her single mother allowed me to bring my culture into DC history for the first time, while inviting kids to meet some of the most iconic heroes, Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batman, and The Flash, right alongside her. My hope is that You’re A Superhero! helps young readers fall in love with these legendary characters and, more importantly, recognize that the courage, strength, and imagination they admire already live inside them.”
Penelope Rivera Gaylord drew DC’s Diana and the Hero’s Journey middle-grade graphic novel, as well as several Little Golden Books, including Captain Marvel and Avengers: Battle on the Moon.
You’re A Superhero! by Writer Azie Tesfaiand Artist Penelope Rivera GaylordArrives November 3, 2026An empowering story about what it means to embody a superhero yourself, one power stance at a time! Six-year-old Mariam loves superheroes, but when she watches them on TV, they feel like they exist on an entirely different planet. Mariam wishes there were more superheroes in her everyday life. As she explores her neighborhood, her mom points out that superheroes do exist within her community. Suddenly, her building’s super resembles Superman! The bus driver is just like Wonder Woman! Her neighborhood electrician is as super as Batman! After a long day of emulating the super people in her life, including her super mom, Mariam learns the most important lesson of all: She’s a superhero, too!
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