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It s a great read...there s enough heart and quirkiness in here to make it an essential read for fans of the genre. --Scot Campus
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Ollie Janson had it all going for him - plenty of friends at school, good looks, and his coach called him one of the most talented basketball players he's ever seen. But that was when he could still move his legs. Now he's living with multiple sclerosis, missing all the little things he used to take for granted, and escaping into the world of movies and comics with his best friend. Then... SUPERIOR entered his life. The newest smash graphic novel from MARK MILLER (KICK-ASS) and LEINIL FRANCIS YU (SECRET INVASION) is sure to be the most talked-about book of the year!
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Format:Hardcover
Simon Pooni was a regular kid once, captain of the school basketball team, until something life changing happened to him - he contracted multiple sclerosis. Confined to a wheelchair and barely able to use crutches his future looks bleak. That is until a space monkey appears out of nowhere and gives him superpowers! Gone is Simon Pooni, Superior is here!
In a twist on the body swapping premise made famous by "Big" and "Freaky Friday", a disabled boy finds himself with a new body that not only looks exactly like his favourite fictional superhero but can fly, has super strength, super speed, laser vision, the whole lot! Except the space monkey is not who he appears and Simon is about to realise the true cost of a wish fulfilled.
Mark Millar writes a great story most of us who read superhero comics have dreamt of - what would it be like to have superpowers? But more than showing the benefits of having someone like Superior in real life - stopping terrorism, averting natural disasters, saving millions of lives - Millar does a fine job of putting a disease that can afflict anyone, multiple sclerosis, in the spotlight.
One of the best lines in the book is when Simon becomes Superior and says something like "Looking back, I could fly, I had super strength, I could shoot lasers from my eyes, but when people ask me what I liked best about being a superhero?, it was being able to move my toes again". It's a heart-breaking snapshot of what people with MS must feel like every day. The tribute to Christopher Reeve at the back is touching too.
But enough touchy-feely stuff, has the book got the action superhero fans crave? Of course, it's Mark "Ultimates" Millar at the helm. Superior finds his own Lex Luthor (the book is a very thinly veiled riff on Superman) and huge battle scenes commence, skilfully drawn by Lenil Yu who did great work with Millar on their last collaboration, "Ultimate Avengers".
It's a really fun book to read but, in contrast to Millar's "Nemesis" which was out this time last year, "Superior" has a lot of heart to it and you find yourself rooting for Simon throughout. A great alternative take on superhero stories, "Superior" is an excellent read.
In a twist on the body swapping premise made famous by "Big" and "Freaky Friday", a disabled boy finds himself with a new body that not only looks exactly like his favourite fictional superhero but can fly, has super strength, super speed, laser vision, the whole lot! Except the space monkey is not who he appears and Simon is about to realise the true cost of a wish fulfilled.
Mark Millar writes a great story most of us who read superhero comics have dreamt of - what would it be like to have superpowers? But more than showing the benefits of having someone like Superior in real life - stopping terrorism, averting natural disasters, saving millions of lives - Millar does a fine job of putting a disease that can afflict anyone, multiple sclerosis, in the spotlight.
One of the best lines in the book is when Simon becomes Superior and says something like "Looking back, I could fly, I had super strength, I could shoot lasers from my eyes, but when people ask me what I liked best about being a superhero?, it was being able to move my toes again". It's a heart-breaking snapshot of what people with MS must feel like every day. The tribute to Christopher Reeve at the back is touching too.
But enough touchy-feely stuff, has the book got the action superhero fans crave? Of course, it's Mark "Ultimates" Millar at the helm. Superior finds his own Lex Luthor (the book is a very thinly veiled riff on Superman) and huge battle scenes commence, skilfully drawn by Lenil Yu who did great work with Millar on their last collaboration, "Ultimate Avengers".
It's a really fun book to read but, in contrast to Millar's "Nemesis" which was out this time last year, "Superior" has a lot of heart to it and you find yourself rooting for Simon throughout. A great alternative take on superhero stories, "Superior" is an excellent read.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
All kids want to be a superhero, even kids in their thirties like me! But for one boy - the chance to become his hero is about to be granted from the unlikeliest of places when a monkey-astronaut offers to turn him into the cape-wearing, flying movie hero 'Superior'. When you struggle to walk unaided, being able to fly is an opportunity impossible to turn down.
The eleven year old Simon Pooni soon finds himself resembling the actor who plays Superior, but there are no special effects required now, he has all the Superpowers of the fictional hero. Although he has amazing abilities such as being enable to fly around the globe, it's humbling to see that what Simon loves best about being Superior is not being in a wheelchair, the simple pleasure of being able to wiggle his toes. We come to understand that offering this opportunity to become a superhero to a boy with multiple sclerosis was no coincidence, this isn't a gift, it's a trade and the stakes are high - but a failing body doesn't mean Simon is weak spirited.
Superior is clearly influenced by Superman (this is almost an alternative spin using many of the moments from the '78 film) and is even dedicated to Christopher Reeve and Richard Donner who between them made us believe a man could fly. Mark Millar obviously felt the same wonderment as me when he saw Superman as a kid, and Superior is like a love-letter to those films. There are numerous parallels between the two but this manages to look like a homage rather than derivative and it takes Superman into the modern 'real' world when instead of being an all-American boy scout, Superior becomes involved in issues which really matter. The all-powerful Superior feels he is a servant of the world - not just America or the west, helping China and even old foes Russia, though his biggest achievement is saving millions from starvation in Africa. The sorts of issues conveniently ignored in most other superhero comics. Superior perhaps runs the risk of looking outdated in a decades time by including contemporary politics such as the Afghanistan war and depicting real political leaders but it's a brave move which takes Superheroes out of the relatively safe world of rescuing cats from trees between bopping evil villains. Comics involving super-powered heroes tend to distance themselves from political decisions but a child's point of view highlights the simplicity of ethics concerning wars and famine. That isn't to say that there is no arch enemy here though and Superior ultimately builds to an epic battle with an impressively matched adversary.
In a nutshell: There's no doubt that this will appeal mainly to teenage audiences, but the nods to the great Superman films (well, the first 2!) will appeal to those who share the nostalgia. Yes - this could have explored deeper, but it still looks at a fantastical story from Millar's usual grounded-in-reality viewpoint which gives it an edge and provides the characters with depth. From a kid reflecting on his life, a journalist who is desperate to re-capture her former glory, and a semi-washed up film star who finds his doppelgänger bringing him more attention - there are plenty of interesting angles in Superior. Yu's artwork captures the same level of nostalgia and the characterisations strike a good balance of cartoony and realism.
The eleven year old Simon Pooni soon finds himself resembling the actor who plays Superior, but there are no special effects required now, he has all the Superpowers of the fictional hero. Although he has amazing abilities such as being enable to fly around the globe, it's humbling to see that what Simon loves best about being Superior is not being in a wheelchair, the simple pleasure of being able to wiggle his toes. We come to understand that offering this opportunity to become a superhero to a boy with multiple sclerosis was no coincidence, this isn't a gift, it's a trade and the stakes are high - but a failing body doesn't mean Simon is weak spirited.
Superior is clearly influenced by Superman (this is almost an alternative spin using many of the moments from the '78 film) and is even dedicated to Christopher Reeve and Richard Donner who between them made us believe a man could fly. Mark Millar obviously felt the same wonderment as me when he saw Superman as a kid, and Superior is like a love-letter to those films. There are numerous parallels between the two but this manages to look like a homage rather than derivative and it takes Superman into the modern 'real' world when instead of being an all-American boy scout, Superior becomes involved in issues which really matter. The all-powerful Superior feels he is a servant of the world - not just America or the west, helping China and even old foes Russia, though his biggest achievement is saving millions from starvation in Africa. The sorts of issues conveniently ignored in most other superhero comics. Superior perhaps runs the risk of looking outdated in a decades time by including contemporary politics such as the Afghanistan war and depicting real political leaders but it's a brave move which takes Superheroes out of the relatively safe world of rescuing cats from trees between bopping evil villains. Comics involving super-powered heroes tend to distance themselves from political decisions but a child's point of view highlights the simplicity of ethics concerning wars and famine. That isn't to say that there is no arch enemy here though and Superior ultimately builds to an epic battle with an impressively matched adversary.
In a nutshell: There's no doubt that this will appeal mainly to teenage audiences, but the nods to the great Superman films (well, the first 2!) will appeal to those who share the nostalgia. Yes - this could have explored deeper, but it still looks at a fantastical story from Millar's usual grounded-in-reality viewpoint which gives it an edge and provides the characters with depth. From a kid reflecting on his life, a journalist who is desperate to re-capture her former glory, and a semi-washed up film star who finds his doppelgänger bringing him more attention - there are plenty of interesting angles in Superior. Yu's artwork captures the same level of nostalgia and the characterisations strike a good balance of cartoony and realism.
6 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Its Mark Millar's homage to Superman and boy is it uninspiring. Its the same tired old formula yet again, he takes an idea and strings it out for a bit and the whole thing concludes with a huge fight. Hardly visionary. Is it fun? Only slightly. If only Millar could actually write some decent dialogue, chance would be a fine thing. To be honest it has the feeling that it has been written by a teenager, it tries so hard to be smart, funny and witty at times but comes across as purile.
So a young boy with a disability is given Superman-like powers by a sinister looking creature (space monkey) only there will be a catch. But don't fret as we all know its not going to be for free. Simple enough so far. The majority of the story is built around the Superior character having fun with his new powers however only a couple of people know his real identity. Most of this back story is of little to no consequence in the end because it all boils down to a large hollywood-esque battle (I'm sure Millar can smell the dollars at this point). All in all Superior features everything you would expect from a Mark Millar book - poor dialogue, characters who are instantly forgettable, a lead female character who is 1 dimensional and to top it off all plot devices are resolved in the huge money shot of a battle to wrap it all up (the space monkey finds another kid who happens to hate the lead character so hey presto, fight!). On paper it sounds interesting enough but in the end it isn't. Hopefully he may write something original in the future. Its an expensive sleeping tablet because its just so pedestrian and by the numbers.
So a young boy with a disability is given Superman-like powers by a sinister looking creature (space monkey) only there will be a catch. But don't fret as we all know its not going to be for free. Simple enough so far. The majority of the story is built around the Superior character having fun with his new powers however only a couple of people know his real identity. Most of this back story is of little to no consequence in the end because it all boils down to a large hollywood-esque battle (I'm sure Millar can smell the dollars at this point). All in all Superior features everything you would expect from a Mark Millar book - poor dialogue, characters who are instantly forgettable, a lead female character who is 1 dimensional and to top it off all plot devices are resolved in the huge money shot of a battle to wrap it all up (the space monkey finds another kid who happens to hate the lead character so hey presto, fight!). On paper it sounds interesting enough but in the end it isn't. Hopefully he may write something original in the future. Its an expensive sleeping tablet because its just so pedestrian and by the numbers.
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