There’s a new reality show in the works. As part of the show, five young and beautiful people are recruited by a mysterious corporation to get super-powers. But things aren’t quite as clichéd nor as serious as they sound. Super Real is a really fun and silly take on super powers and reality TV.
It’s not sophisticated – in fact, it’s pretty damn juvenile – but that’s a big part of why this book is so fun. I loved how self-involved and oblivious all five heroes are. No matter what kinds of threats come their ways – and there are plenty of nasty threats – the silly and quirky personalities of these five young narcissists totally flows through the page and makes the events fun.
The best moments of this long book for me are the quieter moments when the characters just hang out and act like themselves. The drunken horsing around is the most fun moment of the book for me, when we get to see the characters just interact and have fun together. They have a real chemistry when they interact and really feel like normal kids.
But there is action to go along with the character moments. One of the issues collected here attacks movie clichés, and is full of funny takes on Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Scream and other movies. That issue features a bunch of guest artists, and just flies along in a giant stream of silliness.
The final couple of chapters in the book take the book to a more unexpected place, presenting an ending that’s especially shocking after the silly events that precede it. I kind of dropped the book, shocked, when finishing it. I love the feeling that you never quite know what will happen, and Martin definitely delivers that.
The real secret to this book is writer/artist Jason Martin’s enthusiasm for the work. Super Real seems to be breaking at the seams with the excitement that Martin puts into his work. There’s a ridiculous amount of personality in every line of his manga-influenced artwork and in the way he presents his characters and stories.
This was a really wonderfully fun comic with nice art and a very shocking ending. I really enjoyed it.
For more information on Super Real, visit superrealgraphics.com.