SUPERHERO

The creators of Earth, Universe and Paradise X reunite (with Braithwaite providing pencil base for Ross’ glorious painted panels) for another heavily religious, wholly apocalyptic adventure involving DC’s greatest heroes and villains. This hardback collects the first four issues of the maxi-series and sees the Justice League of America plagued with nightmares in which they fail to save the world from a manmade Armageddon, while in waking life their villainous counterparts, led by the cerebral Lex Luthor, Brainiac and Gorilla Grodd, set about the surprisingly philanthropic business of ridding the planet of starvation, disease, etc.

There are at least two intriguing readings of the story so far. A theological one suggests the human race has turned its back superheroes, much as the secular world has with God. More interestingly, a political reading might reflect the current US administration’s misanthropic, empire building foreign policy. Alternatively, you can simply enjoy Ross’ marvellous re-imagining of the DC pantheon.