Happy Will Eisner Week, Day 6: Superbitch! Volume One

Today, I review another graphic novel funded via Kickstarter for Will Eisner Week.

Superbitch! is a superhero story turned on its head, a commentary on hero worship, celebrity, popular culture, and capitalism. Superbitch used to be a run of the mill superheroine, but she decided that charity work was for suckers and that she should get paid for her services. She is petty, materialistic, drinks maybe a little too much, and solves her problems by punching them dead in the face. The two main members of SB's supporting cast, who try their best to ground her, are Art Hobo, a childhood friend who has a bachelor's degree in art and a lot of debt, and Quinn, a smart computer expert who keeps her up to date with technology and pitches in as needed.

I think this collection is full of fun action sequences, clever situations, and laughs. At the start of this book, most of the comics are sketchier, one-off gags that frequently have pop culture references like this one:

But after a few pages, you can see a distinct and cleaner art style evolve. Also, there are more sustained storylines, where Superbitch runs for mayor, deals with a jerk of an ex-boyfriend, and assists Art Hobo when a super-powered debt collector comes a-calling.

I really enjoyed these comics, particularly how they play with and ridicule the often ludicrous conventions of superhero comics.

Superbitch! creator Kennedy Cooke-Garza is a recent graduate from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has an online portfolio of her artwork and various projects here. For those interested, she talks about "comics, superheroes and creativity" in this interview.

I was only able to locate a couple of reviews for this book, and they were both positive. Brian Cronin had these positive words for the comic, "Cooke-Garza is a talented draftswoman, and her work has only gotten better as the series has gone along." Deborah Markus wrote on Goodreads, "It's ridiculously over-the-top wrong, and it kills."

If you are interesting in buying this book or following her continuing adventures, Superbitch! is regularly updated here. Also, as you can see from the title and the sample pages, there are frequent profanities and adult situations, so this book is recommended for those mature enough to handle both.

To serve and protect.