Back-issue blog: Mark Millar's Superior

About six months ago, I would have assumed Mark Millar could do no wrong. This is the guy that wrote Kick-Ass, Marvel Knights: Spider-Man and perhaps most importantly Civil War. It's a terrific run; "The Last Stand" was the Spider-Man story that got me reading comics properly in the first place. But Nemesis, his other big mini-series, was sadly a misfire. Some terrific moments and truly diabolical scheming by the titular anti-hero were wasted on the cardboard cut-out characters and I was afraid that Superior, Millar's attempt at a Superman story, was going to go the same way. Millar is teetering on the brink of overexposure with these projects, Kick-Ass 2, his new film and London comic-con, and I was worried that the slippery slope of success had got to him. However, I'm happy to report that four issues in and it's looking good. Not Kick-Ass good, but good nonetheless.


So let's recap: a disabled twelve-year-old boy is approached by a monkey in a space suit and offered a "magic wish" that turns him into his favourite comic-book hero, Superior.

Hang on, what?!

Past the slow start and ridiculous premise, the book is actually rather good. It's a character story, the sole reason that Superior succeeds where Nemesis failed. The comic forces us to actually care about the plight of poor little wheelchair-bound Simon Pooni, Millar's very own mystically transfigured Tiny Tim. But all this character development is a double-edged sword; this comes at the expense of much of the action, putting off casual readers.

Once the supporting cast expands by issue #4, Millar gets off his backside and kicks the story into gear. A maverick female journalist and even Barack Obama prompt some great moments by Superior, showing not only the hero inside of ourselves, blah blah et cetera, but the frightening realisation that a twelve-year-old boy, unused to walking, can now lift buses with one hand and threaten the school bully with exposure. Even the monkey's big reveal by the end of issue #4 was a genuine "Oh shit" moment for me, something that not many comics are able to accomplish.

Let's talk about the art. Leniell Yu is probably one of my favourite artists in comics at the moment; his art has this raw, sketchy, effortless quality that really makes it shine. While his work on Secret Invasion was nice, it was more personal, moodier comics like Wolverine and New Avengers that really won me over. Let me tell you, the man draws one hell of a Wolverine. This cannot be overstated. Given his art style, he would not have been my first choice for this project but it works. It really does. The book looks gorgeous.

It's a slow starter, perhaps unnecessarily so, but Superior is a return to form of sorts for Millar. I strongly suggest you jump on the book before it's over, if you haven't already. Grab some back issues and get up to speed before issue #5 hits the stands.