The Superannuated Man #3 Review


Superannuated Man 3The Superannuated Man #3 marks the third issue of a six part series. As we get near the half way point, how is everything shaping up? This is not a title’s that is easy to define by nature, but let’s have a go anyway…

The official description from Image:

The theory of evolution is turned on its proverbial ear when a demented scientist warthog and his lizard assistant begin performing visceral experiments on our hapless protagonist, HE.

Straight away, this issue opens up with the usual charm and wit. However, there’s a stronger sense of progression here and things take a darker turn. Still, it’s hard to look away from the page. It’s oddly compelling reading, no matter how weird and quirky it is.

In terms of writing, Ted McKeever’s humor is well laced throughout. The opening dialogue, for instance, is just an exchange of words irrelevant to the plot, yet it sets the tone perfectly. While it’s slow to get the plot rolling, it’s never exactly dull either. As I said, the plot takes a while to get together but the various scenes are all worth watching – there’s no dull padding between the important panels.

Visually, McKeever’s artwork also goes a long way to setting the tone – quirky, yet oddly dry and grim. The sheer shades of black and white add a chilling vibrancy to the artwork, something that goes well with the off-beat dialogue and writing.  The design work is equally interested, with many panels going into various levels of detail: everything looks very lived in.

All in all, this is a fantastic issue, even if I can’t put my finger on exactly why. From start to finish it is very entertaining but if you were to ask someone the exact plot, there simply isn’t one.

OUR RATING
8
  • + Quirky and funny
  • + Amazing art work
  • + Very unique setting
  • - Very slow plot

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