Superzero #1 (AfterShock)

Rating: 4.5/5 – Its Strength Is It’s Not Actually About Super-Heroes
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall

Another solid entry from new publisher Aftershock, this time written by the team behind Harley Quinn and Starfire over at DC Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti.  This super-star duo is giving us a creator-owned series and I have heard that something like half the comic shops in the US didn’t even order copies for the rack, so if you see this at your local store do 2 things: 1) Thank them for supporting this great indie book and 2) Buy a copy!

Conner & Palmiotti are helming DC’s 4th best selling title for November (Harley Quinn) that sold a bit over 58,000 copies.  It eludes me why a shop would not order at least a few copies of Superzero by the same writing team, also featuring a female protagonist, and suggest it to people who are buying a copy of Harley Quinn or Starfire.  Wouldn’t they be able to sell at least a few copies?  Certainly more than zero…a Super ZERO rating for any comic shop that failed to order copies of this book!  But I’ll get off the soap box and talk about the comic.

For me the strength of this debut was the focus on our protagonist Drusilla Dragowski.  She is in love with super-heroes and desperately wants to be one, to the point of trying to duplicate possible origins.  She dreams about superheroes and it is in these dream sequences with her heroic counterpart Paladina that we get to see a fantasy super-hero counterpoint to Dru’s normal life.  Conner and Palmiotti have a flare for everyday moments and it was moments like the scenes in the hall at Dru’s school or at her home that stood out and made this book super special to me (well that and little touches like Dru’s bathtub being lit from the bottom with waterproof LED strips or a nod to superstar of comic book trivia Mark Waid).   Lest I forget, the art by Rafael de Latorre was outstanding.  People look like real people, not examples of physical perfection like one might see in many mainstream super-hero comics or on the CW network.

If you’re a fan of Conner and Palmiotti’s work at DC, or their other creator-owned projects, and have not already secured a copy of this book, ask your shop for a copy.  They can order one for you from Diamond if they don’t have one on hand.  Similarly, ask for this if you’d like to read about a girl who dreams of being a super-hero while living in a world where she thinks she is a super-zero.  I’m on board for this series, I’m looking forward to seeing where it will go in #2.

Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
https://comicspectrum.com/ Covering the full spectrum of comics culture

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