Pros
- The story is an interesting deconstruction of the superhero genre; I appreciate that the story considers the practical and philosophical implications of superheros in the "real world," even if it does so imperfectly (see: "cons").
- The story sets up a lot of threads to potentially pay off (e.g. superheroes as nationalist figures, the execution of superheroes who would truly change the world, etc). This could be a pro or a con depending on how things shake out in the coming volumes, but I am listing it as a pro for now.
Cons
- The art style means it can be hard to differentiate characters, and especially background characters. This issue is compounded by the fact that most background characters come and go quickly.
- Action scenes are scattered and only OK, especially in comparison to more battle-focused work (e.g. "One Punch Man").
- While I appreciate the intellectual discourse, the writing can be very heavy-handed. At times it feels like Philosophy 101 with superheros as case studies instead of being a story.
- Nit-pick: I found the little post-scripts that were included on the bottom of many of the comic's pages were a distraction rather than adding anything especially interesting to the story.
Conclusion
The book doesn't rise to some of the greatest heights of comics, but it's fun for what it is. I found the philosophical debates to be heavy-handed at times, but it didn't stop me from finishing the comic and purchasing the next omnibus (volume 5-8). Ultimately, I'm curious to see how (or perhaps if) the various plot threads will play out.
Final Score:
7/10
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