Super Stupor is a side project by R.K. Milholland, of the infamous webcomic Something* Positive. Originally published as the occasional bonus on the S*P website, it is now being published as a comic book, of which this is obviously the first issue. Issue 1 features a couple of strips first published on the web, but is otherwise entirely new content, which forms an actual complete story. As you might expect from the name, Super Stupor is a parody of the super hero comics that we all know and love. Rather than parody actually well-known heroes, Milholland has instead created a cast of original characters (some with rather unique abilities and/or costumes) and puts them into stories and situations that lampoon the tropes of the genre. It's in turns bitingly sarcastic, cruelly harsh, disgustingly crude, and yet always humorous. Of course, it's often the sort of humor where you hate yourself right after you laugh, but we all need a few guilty pleasures in life. At this point, I feel that it's important to mention that Super Stupor has a well-earned "Mature Audiences Only" label. This comic has strong language, mature situations, and a hero with a super power that requires a certain bit of his anatomy to be placed in someone else's orifice. There's no nudity, but it's still much more adult than I think you'd want to have your eight year old daughter reading, for instance. This comic is strictly for the grown-ups. (At this point I'd also like to apologize to my Dad if he's reading this. Dad, your little girl is all grown up and reads dirty super hero comics. I'm sorry this is how you had to find out.) Super Stupor #1 debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, so it's rather appropriate that the story takes place at Plight City's hero convention. At this convention, the city's heroes sign autographs, answer questions on panels, and charge ridiculous prices to pose with their fans for pictures. Sound familiar? Things get interesting when instead of the usual token villain attack to spice things up, a major-league villain comes in and attempts to hold the convention-goers ransom. With only D-List heroes in attendance, the nerds of Plight City seem doomed. Will the minor-league heroes save the day? Will they get help from an unlikely source? Will barbed zingers be exchanged? You'll have to read the comic to find out. I'd already enjoyed the Super Stupor strips on the web, but I enjoy it even more in comic book format, getting an entire little story in one shot. I especially liked this issue, as it heavily featured my favorite character, Arch-Angela, an otherworldly, naieve winged woman with an archaic way of talking, who is new to this whole hero convention thing. Because this is a self-published comic, the quality isn't quite what you'd get from even a small-press book. There are a couple little goofs, it's smaller than your average comic, and the colors aren't very crisp. However, it is in full color, its sturdily bound, and unlike many self-published comics, it features skillful writing and art, honed from years of doing a web comic. The art is, of course, of a more cartoonish style rather than a serious super hero style, but it fits the humorous nature of the book. I'd highly recommend Super Stupor for anyone who enjoys super hero parody, or anyone who is a fan of R. K. Milholland's web comics. Issue 2 should be coming out soon as well, so you may be able to get a twofer.

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Copyright © 2008 By AJ Reardon E-mail AJ at: ErtheFae@aol.com Visit AJ at: www.erthefae.com