I don't think I'll do vol 2 ( )

Sort of half-way between the Incredibles and Watchmen. Only failed to get 5 stars because its ongoing. Hey even Lord of the Rings didn't get any Oscars until the last movie :) .
Really good and i say this as a guy, the female of the species should be just as happy with it though. Only downside, its characters are imitations of existing ones so an unfamiliarity with the original heros might take something from the experience. ( )

This book is crazy. I loved everything about it. I can't wait to find out what is going to happen. ( )

All of the super heroes of the Meta Legion live in the same neighborhood and this is a behind the scenes look at their lives and loved ones. This appears to be a spin off graphic novel series so you can expect not to get much background info on any of these super heroes - we are just plopped right down into their personal lives. I haven't read any of the other graphic novels (if there are any), since I saw this was a volume 1 I assumed everything I would need to know would be in it, but such is not the case. Unfortunately, I tried to find the other graphic novels and maybe I didn't give it a good enough effort because I came up blank. - I assumed it would be Marvel's NATION X, or HER-OES - but that doesn't look right either. Feel free to comment if you know if there is a main series! =) I do believe I would have enjoyed Supurbia more if I had more beforehand knowledge of the characters that this assumes the reader will have. I did really enjoy the illustrations and the story arcs even if they were somewhat cliche. As such this was similar to watching a daytime soap opera but featuring super heroes instead.

Illustrations - 5 stars - Fun, great lines, plenty of detail
Story- 3 - Not as strong as I would have liked ( )

Supurbia is a comic series created by Grace Randolph and illustrated by Russell Dauterman. This review is of Volume 1, which consists of four issues. I purchased them separately (because on the Aussie version of Comixology it was 50¢ cheaper that way) but I'm treating them as a single volume for review purposes, especially since individually each issue does not tell a complete story. The cover art of the omnibus (top right image) is the same as the first issue and I've included the covers of the other three issues below. I've also included the blurb from Goodreads.

What goes down when the capes come off? Meet the "Real Housewives" of Earth's greatest super-team, the Meta Legion! It's the egos, the tantrums, and the betrayals of the super set. Find out what happens behind the masks as superhero families are faced with the sordid problems of everyday life - and then some!

This miniseries is primarily about the wives/girlfriends and children of a team of superheroes. The point of view jumps around a bit — especially in the first issue when we're being introduced to everyone, which I found a little difficult to follow — but generally it is the significant others of the Meta Legion superheroes who take centre-page. (see what I did there?) There's quite a variety among the characters. The character new to the scene who provides an in for the audience is the newly married Eve. She and her husband are just moving into the suburban street where the Meta Legion live in secret, pretending to be normal. There's also the strung-out druggie ex-villain girlfriend of one of the most powerful supers, the super wife whose given up her crime-fighting career to ensure her daughter doesn't loose both parents at once, the husband of an Amazonian super and their two kids, and a few others.

The epic crime fighting happens as a backdrop to the relationships between the characters. The blurb describes it as "Real Housewives" but I don't think that's accurate. (Mind you, that's without having seen the show, but it's certainly nothing like the image the show projects.) Really this first volume touches on a lot of issues that various characters are dealing with. Knowing that there are more comics in the series makes me happy that they will probably be addressed in more detail down the line.

My favourite sub-plot in this one was Amazonian super Batu's relationship with her kids. She has a boy and a girl and, according to her culture, her superpowers should be passed down to her daughter. She pretty much ignores her son and refers to her husband as her "mate". But her daughter isn't developing superpowers as quickly as Batu would like...

This four-issue introductory volume has a self-contained storyarc, although the end clearly sets up further stories about the characters. I would recommend reading the entire volume before deciding whether to continue with the series, as I did. The first issue only introduces the characters but doesn't give a good idea of what the rest of the volume will be like.

I recommend Supurbia to fans of alternative superhero stories (whatever that means, I'm not actually sure myself), superheroes in general and anyone who likes seeing female-led stories (which should be everyone, of course). As a relative n00b to comics, I would also recommend them to other n00bs looking for a relatively easy entry point.

4 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. ( )