Super Human Resources (Ape Entertainment – Bleep / Marcus / Nodell)
“The Human Resources department of Super Crises International includes all the ordinary folks behind the comic panels that keep your favorite heroes up and running. They file expense reports for hovercrafts, refill the coffee filters, FedEx out the anti-matter nullifiers and clean up the conference rooms after crossovers gone horribly wrong.
In other words, Super Crises International is pretty much like the office you work at. Only stir in a butt-load of circus freaks, with capes, claws and radioactive half-lives. Or as we like to call them, your co-workers.
Welcome to Super Human Resources. Your cube is right this way.”
I caught a preview sample of this series a while back at Wizard World Chicago and thought that it had quite a potential when I saw it then. Since that time, I have had the privilege, nay – the honor of getting to look at the full series. Super Human Resources is one of the best Indy books I have seen this year and by far the funniest!
Ken Marcus’ ability to synthesize the frustration-driven, cubicle-dwelling humor of Office Space and Dilbert with the tongue-in-cheek, self-depreciating, take-a-close-look-in-the-mirror fanboy humor found in The Tick, Dork Tower and Oni’s Maintenance is superb and gets him in the running for rookie of the year (How’s that for inappropriate use of hyphens?). The story follows Tim, an accounting temp at Super Crises International (SCI for short), and his baptism into the world of masked crime-fighters. Whether they be the huge bruiser types (Stalwart), the street-wise caped-crusader (Wombat) or the off-beat hero trying to find his humanity and place in the world (Zombor), Tim meets and interacts with them all. While the author is a fanboy in his own right, it doesn’t stop him from taking the reader through an adventure that pokes fun at the super-hero genre and points out why the concept of Superheroes in the real world might not be a good one. No archetype is safe, no icon is off limits, every page will get a laugh and there are Easter Eggs everywhere… and I think only a true fan will get them all!
Not only does this book have great characters and continuously great humor, but it also has an artist that presents a perfect style for the presentation. Justin Bleep is a fan favorite at conventions and is best known for his stylized “urban-esque” work on The Brick City Bunch. Bleep’s angular pencils and popping colors gives the reader the perfect blend of flow and interest as they move from page to page.
This book hits in December and you will regret if you miss it!
Grade: Solid A+
Check out some page samples from the SCI homepage below
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