Secondhand Heroes, The Last Battle is a first rate graphic novel

There is something different about the Secondhand Heroes graphic novel trilogy by Justin Larocca Hansen.  I like to read graphic novels, but aren’t a technical guru when it comes to know how they’re made, but this one looks different. Fans of the previous two books know the deal. The Last Battle puts the finishing touches on Brella, Stretch, everyday superheroes, monsters and more as they hope to put up a fight against the otherworldly Trench.

Secondhand Heroes has everything that a 9 year old reader wants in a graphic novel. Those readers that come in on this final book will be able to jump into the story with ease. While some of the character backstories won’t be immediately known it’ll sort itself out in just a couple of pages when Trench, with his flaming hands and death-green face come around.

For a book called Secondhand Heroes the book is filled with very common heroes. You see back in book one the two brothers, Tuck and Hudson went to an estate sale where their mother got them the lamest things in the world, a scarf and an umbrella. However, it turns out that the person that died in that house was practicing magic and that all of the things for sale in their estate sale possessed some magical abilities.

Tuck, the older brother is given the umbrella, which has the power of flight. Hudson’s scarf is able to become any shape and has a mind of its own, being able to deflect punches, climb things or anything else. In the first two books the brothers have had lots of adventures, discovered other people who got things from the estate sale and found out their nemesis.

The Last Battle picks up with their hometown well aware of people with various abilities and accepting them into everyday life, albeit with disguises so nobody knows who they really are. Stretch and Brella are heroes, but Trench has plans to take them down with the help of some monsters, as well as, humans who are out the edge of society.

Older readers will enjoy the monsters in The Last Battle and they won’t have to wait long.  By the sixth page there’s been a mysterious explosion, talking squirrel, friendly monsters and a neighborhood get together. This is a quickly paced graphic novel that doesn’t skimp on the action and has some great characters that kids 9 and up can relate to and identify with. Part of that charm certainly lies in its title, Secondhand Heroes. These are just two average kids who have objects that give them superpowers.

However, these powers do come at a cost and they, as well as, the others who received them have to learn to deal with and manage them.

Younger readers will love the action, monsters and humor. Parents will enjoy all of the above, plus the positive lessons that the characters are taught in the book. This is not a ‘lesson’ graphic novel. It’s just a well written book that kids will want to read with characters that have traits, that young readers will want to emulate or stay away from. The book also stands out as something that boys or girls can enjoy equally. Based on the cover you could say that the two main characters are boys, but there is a great stable of girls, like Elvira and Lorna who kick butt as much, if not more than the boys.  

The art in Secondhand Heroes is hand drawn then painted with watercolor. It’s obvious that love, dedication and time that Justin Larocca Hansen put into each book as well as its characters. Readers who are 12 and up won’t bat an eye over the difference in the book’s appearance. Younger readers might need to warm up to the style of art. For example, our 8YO likes graphic novels, but he needed a moment to get up to speed with the action, myriad of monsters and the like before he could really lose himself in the book. Because of that, readers 9 and up will really enjoy Secondhand Heroes, The Last Battle without a primer, warm-up or supervision from their parents.