Comic Books Review: SUPERIOR

Authors: Leinil Francis Yu, Mark Millar

Illustrator: Leinil Francis Yu

Simon is a 12-year-old boy with multiple sclerosis who misses the days when he played with his friends and was able to be himself without the need of a wheelchair. All his other friends have left him behind, except for Chris. Chris made a point to spend time with Simon at least once a week and watch a movie together. That's how this story starts: both friends are watching the latest superhero movie about Superior (who is this universe's version of Superman). After the movie, Chris says that Superior is too old school and is a lame red boy scout. Simon still thinks he is pretty cool. They are quickly interrupted by "Sharpie" and his gang, the school bullies who just want to stir trouble, but are met with Simon's mother who arrives to pick him up.

That night, Simon is visited by a strange, talking space monkey who tells him he has been chosen as the human to be granted a wish. Before he can even respond to this monkey, he is transformed into a real-life version of Superior and is told that all will be explained in one week. In just that one week his life changes forever. He becomes the most celebrated and the most hated. He lives blissfully and then falls, and in the end, he has to make difficult decisions that will cost him more than he realizes.

This is an intriguing story that follows the "sick kid gets superpowers" trope. I especially liked that they addressed what a superhero like Superior can achieve in the real world, how the leaders of the world would react, and how the billions of people would feel. I always believe that superheroes could do more than just save the reporter or put bad guys in jail, and this story delivers just that.

One thing I would say is that the interaction between the characters can be unnatural on some occasions, especially with the younger characters. Sometimes it felt like a grown-up was retelling the words of a child or assumed expressions a child would not say naturally. It didn't take much away from the overall plot, but it's something I noticed. All in all, I thought it was a great story with significant character development and intrigue to keep my eyes on the page from beginning to end.

Finally, the art direction is subtlety suited for a darker story. I can use four words for the art style "such lines, much shading". There is an emphasis on facial expressions, opaque tones, and lots of shading. The faces were something I really appreciated because you can tell what the characters are thinking without even reading the text bubbles. The palette is not the customary bright colors of the superheroes, but rather a more realistic approach with many lines to indicate the details of not only the characters but also the background scenery.

I highly recommend it!

If you are interested in getting a copy, you can find this book on amazon.