DC Zoom and DC Ink are the two new graphic novel imprints announced by DC Entertainment this weekend. DC Zoom will feature stories for middle school readers while DC Ink will be focused on young adults.

The new imprints will also team up with young adult writers including Laurie Halse Anderson, Melissa de la Cruz, Michael Northrop, and Ridley Pearsen.

DC Ink will kick off with two graphic novels, one featuring Harley Quinn being written by Mariko Tamaki and art by Steve Pugh. The other will feature Mera and will be written by Danielle Paige with an artist yet to be announced. DC Zoom will debut with DC Super Hero Girls: Search for Atlantis by Shea Fontana and Yancey Labat.

Also announced was Gene Luen Yang‘s book, Superman Smashes the Klan. The title sounds like a throwback to the classic Superman radio show which took on the Klan. Ridley Pearson will write a Super Sons graphic novel featuring Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne. Pearson’s story will tackle climate change and introduce a new character named Candice, who discovers she belongs to an African dynasty.

The announced lineup reflects the female readers of middle grade and Y.A. novels. They’ll be free from complicated continuity.

The focus isn’t superhero stories but character studies. The middle grader focused adventures will be “characters who are figuring out the world around them, including dealing with parents and teachers” while the young adult graphic novels will focus on “questions of personal identity, with budding heroes deciding what paths they will take.”

The softcover Zoom graphic novels will cost $9.99 for 128 pages with the Ink books retailing for $16.99 for 192 pages.

(via The New York Times)