Comic Review: Super! #1

Super! is the creation of writer/artist Zack Dolan and writer/letterer Justin Piatt. The two created Unlikely Heroes Studios with the express purpose of making a great story, and Super! is the story that came out of that partnership. After months of work and a successful Kickstarter projects, Super! is hitting the comic market in September with its first issue, with issues coming each month after that.

The issue serves largely as a way to setup the story, introducing all the main character, examining their powersets, expanding on the world of the story, and setting up what seems to be the main conflict in the story. Paula, who the story mainly focuses on, is a waitress by day, but she’s also the superhero Blitz. As Blitz, she’s part of a superhero team that works to protect the city of Cosmopolis. In one outing, Paula and the rest of the team breakup a casino robbery, but the hostages they save a less than thankful.

Creators Zack Dolan and Justin Piatt made Super! a superhero story that isn’t afraid to poke fun at the genre, but also takes itself seriously when necessary. Blitz, though many characters admit she’s attractive, is never treated as eye candy in the book and has a costume that is concealing, quite the opposite of most female heroes today. The sort of tongue-in-cheek humor involved in the story, which poked fun at many comic tropes and popular characters, is great. It adds to the wit and charm of the overall book. Along with the seemingly massive and well-populated world of characters, this makes the book something more than the usual indie superhero book.

Dolan is also the artist on this issue, with Everardo Orozco providing colors. The art is extremely slick, with the colors adding great depth to the pages and making things really pop. Dolan’s attention to the small details and his way with facial expressions gives the characters a lot of life, especially in Blitz’s case. All in all, the art gives the book a level of professionalism and presentation that many indie books often lack.

Super! is one of those hidden gems that can be missed if you don’t know about it. Be sure to pick it up when it hits comic shops on September 25th. At 52 pages and a price of $2.99, it’s a heck of a deal too.

Related posts: