Robert Kirkman is currently writing two of my favorite comic books, Invincible and The Walking Dead, but that's really just a small part of his output. However, his other work, in general, hasn't clicked with me as strongly as those two, and Superpatriot is an example of this. It's a fun series, and it even has continuity ties to Invincible, but I'm just not all that invested in the character, who has potential to be interesting but who seems more than anything else like a remnant of the kewl '90s that early Image embodied. That said, this issue was actually a lot of fun, with some stunning action sequences by EJ Su and colorist Dash Martin, some chuckle-worthy moments that deconstruct the superhero a little bit in Kirkman's usual style and some of the most bizarre bad guys this side of the Flaming Carrot.
In Kirkman's hands, Superpatriot is good for two things in particular: action and humor. It's not really an old school book, because the action and humor are both a little more racy than you'd usually get with the superhero comics I was growing up with, instead it's a book that hearkens back to the early days of Image, albeit with much stronger writing craft. The characterization here is pretty thin, with Kirkman going into cliched territory like a conversation about leaving the toilet seat up and having Superpatriot blow off his feelings about his dead kids pretty easily, which makes it kind of hard to really feel anything for the characters.
Fortunately, what the book does well it does very well. Some of the humor springs from the ludicrous Silver Age inspired feel that Erik Larsen gave these characters in Savage Dragon, most notably the long-winded rants of the villains as they provide their insanely convoluted and funny backstories. The rest of it comes from some great comedic timing on the part of Kirkman and his artist. The opening "I couldn't care less" gag, the series of indignities piled upon the old man in the interstitial bits or the "name one thing you can do that I can't" panel are all very funny, and help keep the book light and entertaining.
For all that the book is sort of knowingly goofy, though, Kirkman and Su take the action seriously. There are two big action set pieces this issue, one at the beginning and one near the middle, and they're both just excellent superhero fights. EJ Su has captured the strengths of Superpatriot's visual, namely his ability to morph guns out of his hands and combine that with acrobatic ability, in several exceptional panels in this story. I also loved EJ Su's designs for the bad guys in the opening sequence. I must give special credit, however, to colorist Dash Martin, whose work just pops off the page, especially in the opening few pages, and who takes Su's game to a whole new level. This is the best that EJ Su has ever looked, and a lot of that has to do with Martin's jaw-dropping colors, which mark him as a guy to watch in this field.
Superpatriot, like many of the Savage Dragons spinoffs, has a knowingly adolescent quality to it that makes it hard for me to really invest a lot of interest in it. The constantly shifting status quo of these characters, and the unrealistic ease with which they deal with it, makes it hard to care much about them, and the humor reminds me of the Farrelly Brothers, where it can sometimes be hilarious and other times can just make you feel embarrassed to be watching. That said, Superpatriot: War on Terror is a fun light read, with some amusing humor and a couple of beautiful action set-pieces, perfect if you're in the mood for some empty calorie modern superheroics.
