Project: Superior

I recently finished reading a comics anthology called Project: Superior. The theme for this particular anthology is superheroes. But the theme is interpreted pretty loosely by the various contributors -- most of the stories would look out of place in a mainstream superhero comic. Apparently, many or most of the contributors are indie comics creators, so that makes sense.

Other than the superhero theme that runs throughout the book, the stories vary wildly. Comedy, drama, irony, and psychedelic weirdness -- you'll find it all here. Some creators opted not to submit stories but rather just full-page art pieces. All the stories are short (one is only two pages), but some stories are broken up into pieces and spread throughout the book.

To be honest, there were some entries that I didn't really like and at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to even finish the book. But I got pretty excited once I hit some of the highlights in this collection. For example, I was blown away by the artistry of these pieces:

• Cover and Endpages by Paul Hornschemeier
• Cosmouse Fights by Nathan Jurevicius
• Helper Power by Tim Biskup (the only poem in the book)
• Dream a Little Dream by Tara McPherson

I felt that these stories were particularly touching or clever:

• Monica Beetle by Bryan Lee O'Malley (also check his excellent Scott Pilgrim series)
• Aw Shit, It's Cycloctopus! by Jeffrey Brown (physics nerds, you will love this)
• The Pollen Predicament by J. Chris Campbell
• Plush Boy by J. Ryan and Joe Meno
• Smog Emperor Vs The TV Guy by Zack Soto
• Titanius by Joe Consiglio
• Pretty OK Team by Scott Campbell
• The Superlatives by John Kerschbaum

A few creators managed to achieve a masterful synergy of art and plot:

• Cradle of the Gods by Joel Priddy
• No Prize by Ronnie Del Carmen
• Shock-A-Con by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca (love the pulp art style)
• Thrustman by R. Kikuo Johnson
• Superior by James Jean (How do you create a complex, layered work in just six pages? This is like a miniature masterpiece. Incredible.)
• The Last Stand of Bomb Boy Benton by Paul Rivoche

Unlike the Flight anthology series, the stories featured here are usually not so lighthearted, and in some cases they're gruesomely violent. There is a moderate amount of profanity as well. I would not recommend this book for children (teens are probably OK though).

This book is part of a comics anthology series from Adhouse Books; the other two that I know of are Project: Telstar and Project: Romantic. Hopefully I'll get a chance to read those too, because if they are anywhere near as good as this one, they'll be pretty entertaining.

.. entry_id:: tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759675509232464806.post-8863238719240103145

Project: Superior
=================
.. labels:: review, comics, superhero

I recently finished reading a comics anthology called `Project: Superior`_. The theme for this particular anthology is superheroes. But the theme is interpreted pretty loosely by the various contributors -- most of the stories would look out of place in a mainstream superhero comic. Apparently, many or most of the contributors are indie comics creators, so that makes sense.

.. _`Project: Superior`: http://www.amazon.com/Project-Superior-Various/dp/0972179488

Other than the superhero theme that runs throughout the book, the stories vary wildly. Comedy, drama, irony, and psychedelic weirdness -- you'll find it all here. Some creators opted not to submit stories but rather just full-page art pieces. All the stories are short (one is only two pages), but some stories are broken up into pieces and spread throughout the book. 

To be honest, there were some entries that I didn't really like and at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to even finish the book. But I got pretty excited once I hit some of the highlights in this collection. For example, I was blown away by the artistry of these pieces:

- Cover and Endpages by Paul Hornschemeier
- Cosmouse Fights by Nathan Jurevicius
- Helper Power by Tim Biskup (the only poem in the book)
- Dream a Little Dream by Tara McPherson

I felt that these stories were particularly touching or clever:

- Monica Beetle by Bryan Lee O'Malley (also check his excellent `Scott Pilgrim`_ series)
- Aw Shit, It's Cycloctopus! by Jeffrey Brown (physics nerds, you will love this)
- The Pollen Predicament by J. Chris Campbell 
- Plush Boy by J. Ryan and Joe Meno 
- Smog Emperor Vs The TV Guy by Zack Soto
- Titanius by Joe Consiglio
- Pretty OK Team by Scott Campbell
- The Superlatives by John Kerschbaum

.. _Scott Pilgrim: http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Pilgrim-Vol-Pilgrims-Precious/dp/1932664084

A few creators managed to achieve a masterful synergy of art and plot:

- Cradle of the Gods by Joel Priddy 
- No Prize by Ronnie Del Carmen 
- Shock-A-Con by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca (love the pulp art style)
- Thrustman by R. Kikuo Johnson 
- Superior by James Jean (How do you create a complex, layered work in just six pages? This is like a miniature masterpiece. Incredible.)
- The Last Stand of Bomb Boy Benton by Paul Rivoche

Unlike the Flight_ anthology series, the stories featured here are usually not so lighthearted, and in some cases they're gruesomely violent. There is a moderate amount of profanity as well. I would not recommend this book for children (teens are probably OK though).

.. _Flight: http://www.amazon.com/Flight-One-Kazu-Kibuishi/dp/0345496361

This book is part of a comics anthology series from `Adhouse Books`_; the other two that I know of are `Project: Telstar`_ and `Project: Romantic`_. Hopefully I'll get a chance to read those too, because if they are anywhere near as good as this one, they'll be pretty entertaining.

.. _Adhouse Books: http://adhousebooks.com/
.. _`Project: Telstar`: http://www.amazon.com/Project-Telstar-Spacial-Robotic-Anthology/dp/0972179429
.. _`Project: Romantic`: http://www.amazon.com/Project-Romantic-Various/dp/0977030423