Review - Superbia #1

Believe it or not, superheroes have lives outside of all the super and hero stuff. Works like Watchmen, The Incredibles and Spider-man have tried to show the duality of what it means to be a superhero. It's not all capes and tights. It's also bills, suspicion and emotion...things that you can't really escape regardless.

Superbia is the latest in the line of "real" looks at superhero lifestyles, created and written by Grace Randolph and illustrated by Russell Dauterman (colors by Gabriel Cassata, letters by Steve Wands, cover by Ale Garza and Nei Ruffino). In the first issue from the BOOM! Studios book, there's plenty of juicy gossip to get the series off right.

In Superbia, any hero who's any hero is a member of the Meta Legion. Not only that, but they all live on the same street, giving them some sense of comfort and home, as well as the safety of being around people they can really trust.

The street counts among its residents Helen Heart (Hella), who lives with her boyfriend Sovereign; Alexis Fritsche, the the wife of Paul Fritsche (Night Fox) and CEO of The Fritsche Foundation; Jeremy Metzger, the husband of Batu, one of the daughters of the Bright Moon; Ruth Smith, the wife of Mike White (Marine Omega) and Eve White, freshly married to Robert White (Bulldog).

See, Superbia is about the heroes that live on the street and the lives that their significant others are privy to. It's an interesting take and in the first issue Randolph has created some very distinguishable characters with flaws. They're characters you can resonate with on some level and the loved ones add a somewhat personal touch.

Often you read a comic book and you're looking at the main character with imagination. With Superbia you're reading about characters going through the same trials and tribulations you would go through. New marriage, dying loved one, scurrilous affairs. All of it takes the stage in Superbia.

The appeal most likely lies in the soap opera aspect of it. There was a press release for Superbia a while back where I think the reference was that it was Desperate Housewives with superheroes. I never got on the Desperate Housewives train, but I can see the similarities.

Each member of the Meta Legion has their own problems fitting in with everyone else as a whole. At the same time, each member's significant other has an equally difficult time fitting in because of their lack of powers. It's all a pretty well conceived idea that Randolph pulls off great in the first issue.

Dauterman's art also provides solid support. It's mature enough that it adds some weight to the content, while at the same time being somewhat cartoonish at times. The style really works well with the book and gives the reader some great art to go with the story.

Superbia #1 is definitely a more mature book. The things the members and spouses of the Meta Legion deal with are more than just cutting the grass too close to the neighbor's bushes. There are some deep seeded issues among them all that will no doubt come to light in the series. There's even a slight swerve at the end in the way of a villain.

Superbia #1 hits stores this week. Check out the interiors below.