Superior Showcase #2
Writer: Maris Wicks, Farel Dalrymple, Joey Weiser
Artist: Maris Wicks, Farel Dalrymple, Joey Weiser
Publisher: AdHouse
Released: 2007
Anthologies in the indie comic book world have long been riddled with some hard-to-fix problems. Looking to present a wide range of talent, they are oftentimes lengthy and (thus) pricey, and it is difficult to justify purchasing an expensive collection of unknown artists and writers. (Of course, the unfamiliarity is a problem on its own, but so it is with 99% of indie releases. Besides, this is sort of the point of these anthologies.) And despite their overall length, each story is only a few pages long. (But, again, sort of the point.) These latter "problems" are also the selling points of any anthology, and are more like small hurdles than problems, but the first problem is definitely something that can be dealt with.
Thankfully, this is where Superior Showcase steps in. AdHouse Books has decided to take this track and eschew the larger, expensive anthologies in favor of shorter (32 pages), affordable collections. And by affordable I mean $2.95. Sure, you only get three stories ($1 per story is still a great deal), but these days you can pay $2.95 for a Marvel or DC comic and barely get even one story.
Superior Showcase #2 showcases the talents of Maris Wicks, Farel Dalrymple, and Joey Weiser. Going along with the "alternative all age comic" vibe AdHouse has set out to create, the stories (but not so much Dalrymple's) are certainly fun and cartoony enough for any age. And, if you had not already guessed, each story in some way deals with superherodom.
Wicks's "A Long Strange Trip" starts the show off with a journey inside the body, as anthropomorphic blood cells fight off an infection after a little girl trips and cuts her knee. (Get it? "A Long Strange Trip"? Cute!) Wicks's artwork is very simple (reminiscent of Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes), yet still able to deftly show an array of emotions and actions with little more than eyes and eyebrows. As enjoyable as the art is, the writing is even better (if you can imagine something better than seeing a little T-cell flying around in a cape). It has all the unclutteredness and fun of the art, but to the next level. For an added bonus, "A Long Strange Trip" ends with an educational footnote with the three cells introducing themselves and their functions.
The second story, an installment of Dalrymple's Hollis stories entitled "Shadowsmen", is significantly darker than the other two stories, but its parodying of superhero and noir detective stories fits right in. "Shadowsmen" is not nearly as jovial as "A Long Strange Trip", or as cartoony as the later "Big Mail Day", but it is certainly not a mature story. However, "Shadowsmen" does push the "all age" limits a little. In one scene, the Shadowsmen are about to violently disfigure their helpless hostage (before Hollis bursts in to save the day), and although the disfiguring is halted, the implications of two menacing thugs reaching for a table lined with knives is disconcerting.
As much as the art makes "Shadowsmen" seem out of place, it is still very good. A cross between the art of underground comix in the 1960s and 1970s, and the gritty noir of David Lapham's Stray Bullets, Dalrymple's art perfectly complements his story. The writing, on the other hand, is only average, which feels like a product of Dalrymple creating a piece that is clearly a parody, but also somewhat a serious undertaking. In other words, the writing is too cheesy to be good, but not cheesy enough to be ridiculous.
Weiser's "Big Mail Day", a charming tale of love and superheroing, ends the issue, bringing the collection back to the innocent merriness with which it began. The story follows Tree Frog, an unremarkable superhero working in the mailroom at Business Co., as he meets fellow superhero and coworker Jack Hammer, and dreams of his love (and enemy), Thievery Girl. The story at its most basic - shy boy has boring job and longs for cute girl - is a staple of indie comics, but giving it a superhero twist is very refreshing. No one wants to sit through another awkward conversation between the shy guy and his overbearing coworker, but when one's Tree Frog and the other is Jack Hammer (whose divorced parents imbued him with a Batman-esque vengeance), you can't help but laugh. "Big Mail Day", with its clean art and delightful story, is a fitting and wonderful end to the issue.
Superior Showcase #2 is only the third issue in the series (including #0, released on Free Comic Book Day 2005), but it speaks profusely to the quality of work released by the series. (The first story in Superior Showcase #0, "The Amazing Life of Onion Jack", was chosen for The Best American Comics 2006.) Not every story is a hit, but two out of three isn't bad (sorry, "Shadowsmen"), especially when the hits much outweigh the misses. If you are looking for an interesting take on the superhero genre, and don't mind giving some new talent a chance, Superior Showcase is definitely your book.
by Spencer Sugarman