CC2K’s Comic Review: Not So Super #1

Written by: Laura Hong-Tuason, CC2K Comics Editor

What if one day, you woke up and started developing random powers throughout your mundane 9-to-5 job? What would you do? With great power comes great responsibility right? Not so much for Daniel Douglas. If anything, great power has only invited great confusion.
 

Writer/Creator: Jacques Nyemb
Illustrator: Joe Hunter
 
Meet Dan. He’s a simpleton and I mean that in the kindest way. He’s like you or me, going about his days the same way: boring job and low pay. Life is one grand ball! Okay, life isn’t THAT bad. But as an IT technician and a bachelor who has an affinity for cosplay parties, Dan’s discovering he no longer loves his job and life is passing him by. Fortunately for him, he woke up one day with a random—and I mean random— assortment of powers. Now what he plans do to with it, or what the powers plan to do with him, is up for grabs.

This first issue builds up the foundation for what may be a very interesting and comical story. The concept holds potential. As an average Joe or Jane, you would think that having new found powers would be full of wonders and possibilities. You could be the next Captain America or the next Wonder Woman; a glorified hero! Still, with power comes hardships and tragedy. Regardless of the latter, we all dream about how amazing it would be to do such things as fly or move objects with our mind. However, we never think about the repercussions of power and that’s what Not So Super is all about.

The trouble with this initial issue is that the pacing is slow. Therefore it falls short of getting its main point across. According to creator Jacques Nyemb, the list of Dan’s powers grows and he never knows when they appear or disappear. None of the powers are particularly helpful to him, causing more chaos than good. While the powers do make Dan’s life more interesting, it isn’t what he was expecting at all, which makes for a humorous undertaking.

I wholly enjoyed the scenes following Dan going about his day. It’s uneventful and unexciting, but you’re able to identify with his sheer apathy and annoyance toward everything around him. You laugh at his misery because well, you’ve all been there at some point. The story is only unfolding, but it appears Nyemb will craft and develop a character you can relate to. You’ll be able to imagine yourself walking in Dan’s shoes and eventually finding that maybe, just maybe, you don’t want powers anymore! Though this is just my speculation.

In addition to the concept, the introduction sets up some mysterious events. Apparently Dan has strange dreams, dreams that are sometimes in HD, others that have bad reception. It’ll be interesting to find out how this may relate to the origin of his powers. Also, the art by Joe Hunter is fun and colorful, reflecting a very light and carefree tone. His penciling is detailed and to the point, never missing a beat.

I look forward to seeing what else is in store for our little protagonist!

You can get your own copy here.  Don’t forget to follow @jnyemb and @NSSComics for all your Not So Super news.