- Supermom: Expecting Trouble #1
- Action Lab
- Written by Gordon McLean
- Illustrated by Caio Oliveira
- Colors by Fahriza Kamaputra
- Letters by Frank Cvetkovic
- In stores March 04, 2020
Superhero Voltra is out to stop her archnemesis from taking over the planet. There’s just one problem: she’s pregnant… and he’s the father. Cue the world’s strongest mother fighting the world’s evilest father over the fate of both the world and their unborn child in this action-comedy filled with big laughs, crazy fights, shocking twists and (most importantly) evil monkey clowns. What more do you need?
Meet Jade, aka: Voltra… Superhero. Loving daughter. Big sister. Expectant mother. When trouble rears its ugly head, she’s on the job to bring things back to ground level… baby bump and all. This time, trouble shows up in the form of the Carnimals- as horrifically creepifying a group of villains as there could ever be- while the criminal mastermind Vincent Croupe shows up at the docks to bring in a shipment of goods. We don’t know what that shipment might be, but evil geniuses don’t generally import cuddly stuffed animals (unless they’re full of deadly toxic gas or something…). Will Jade be able to subdue the Carnimals, stop Croupe’s evil plot, & make it to her ultra-sound appointment?
Sure… Supermom might not be the kind of title I’d normally reach for when looking for something to read, but this one intrigued me from the start. The first thing I noticed was the cover art. The combined efforts of Caio Oliveira and Fahriza Kamaputra produce a style that’s very reminiscent of Ryan Ottley ’s work on Invincible, of which I’m a fan so that set the hook. Oliveira’s line work is the perfect touch for a superhero title, all high flying action and hi-jinks… But he’s also got a good eye for catching the smaller in between moments: a mother/daughter hug, Jade’s concern in her doctor’s office, the relief of getting home after a long day to change into her comfy clothes and skarf down some pizza. Oliveira gets it all on the page without leaning too heavily into any of it and keeping the tone of the story light. Kamaputra upholds that ideal with a great sense of tone in the use of colors & shading. There are also some pretty cool effects, as Kamaputra puts a little zing in Jade’s power set (she flies, she’s strong, AND she can emit blasts of electricity).
While it was the art, without a doubt, that got me to take a look at Supermom, it was Gordon McLean’s script that kept me turning the pages & prompted me to knock out a review. McLean balances the two very different attitudes present in this book. On the one hand, it’s all about superheroes and the villains who are out to ruin their days. On the other, it’s about a young lady who’s trying to get through those days with the added stress of having a baby on board, not knowing if that baby is going to be blessed/burdened with superpowers like his/her mom… and dad? Oh yeah, Jade’s pretty hush, hush on the subject of the father, and that’s another plot element that McLean is able to juggle to some pretty good, occasionally comedic, effect.
With a snappy pace, some solid dialogue, and a great artistic flair, the entire team on Supermom has put together a really solid opening issue suitable for teens and up (you can tell that cuz Action Lab is awesome enough to attach the “T” rating). If it was able to pull me in- y’know, the curmudgeonly guy who’s all about spaceships, ninjas, and explodey things- there’s no reason at all that Supermom shouldn’t appeal to a pretty wide range of interests.
Final Score: 10
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