Superb Vol. 2

Catalyst Prime Universe

by Sheena C. Howard, David F. Walker, Alitha E. Martinez (Illustrator)

Cosmosis and Amina, the new young superpowered crimefighters of Youngstown, Ohio, are at war with the Foresight Corporation in order to rescue kidnapped teenagers with extraordinary abilities. With the help of their mysterious ally, an inventor named Abbie, the heroes take on Foresight's new paramilitary team of enhanced teenagers. No matter who wins, both sides will suffer casualties.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Action, Superheroes, Science Fiction

145 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2018

About the author

Writer of fiction, non-fiction, film, comics and graphic novels | Howard University Alum | Eisner Award winner | Featured in Emmy nominated episode of State of the Arts | Appearances on BCC, ABC, PBS and more | All types of stories deserve to be told, and I'm here to tell them | Growth happens when you listen to the stories that make you uncomfortable and consume things that challenge what you think you know.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really want to like this Catalyst universe. A super team with a member that has Down Syndrome should make for a compelling read. But the writing and art is terrible. At the end of 9 issues the kids are still trying to rescue their parents from Foresight. There's no advancement to the story, there's no clarification of powers, I'm just left bored with what's on the page. Maybe the writers are leaving the artist to tell elements of the story, but the art is so basic and lacks so much detail, I can't tell what's going on. It looks like it was rushed to meet a deadline. There's no backgrounds other than a few lines to show that you are indoors or a tree if they are outside. I wouldn't know that one of the characters has Down Syndrome if it wasn't mentioned in the dialogue. The artist isn't good enough to portray the differences in facial features. Then there's the weight issues. In one frame, the tech expert weights 120 lbs, in the next double that. Clearly, this creative team is over its head. This concept still has strong potential if Catalyst can get their act together enough to implement it properly.

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Superb is the second book of a comic book series and even if I didn’t dislike it, I was disappointed.
I really enjoy the first book of this series and was really looking forward to the next opus.
But the story ended up being confusing as fuck and just really messy.
Also, it really was forgettable. I’ve read it 3 weeks ago and barely remember anything.
I still enjoyed the characters. They’re really cool and it always feel good to have diverse characters.
I’ll still read the next book though.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Noble this is one of the more mainstream super hero titles done by the Catalyst Prime ( a line who's mission statement in part is increasing diversity in all forms in their characters). I am far from an expert in Down Syndrome, but credit to co-writers David Walker and Sheena Howard in working at portraying Jonah as a person who isn't that much difference from the rest of us except...

Jonah has Down Syndrom
Jonah has super powers
Jonah wants to be a super hero even though there are those who want to capture and study him
Jonah doesn't quite understand the danger he places himself and others in with his action (which seems reasonable to me from a story viewpoint)

When the Foresight Corporation moved into Jonah's town they scanned everyone at his high school to see if they had been affected by the meteorite shards that descended upon Earth the year before. While Foresight harvested everyone who tested positive they missed Jonah. Probably because somehow the shard plus Jonah's condition led to a negative scan.

Since then Jonah has tried to become a super hero, which has made him a target for Foresight. His former best friend Kayla has moved back and her parents work for Foresight and end up being taken hostage.

While this volume is mostly about the search and rescue for Jonah and Kayla's parents, and the decisions they have to make when things don't work out perfectly. The reader also learns what this branch of Foresight has been doing with the teens they captured.

Again, this is pretty mainstream U.S. super hero stuff. Part of the reason I'm sticking with this is to support the portrayal Jonah and Kayla. I consider this an honest attempt to show somehow with Down Syndrome in a normal light (considering the story line).

Then again I preferred Barbara Gordon at Oracle over her as Batgirl (yeah that will probably get me flamed by someone). Side note: To be Oracle was about the triumph of the brain over the brawn of others be smarter than everyone else (which remains why I like Priest's run on Black Panther the best).

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Catalyst Prime strives to be a staple read for us comic devotees, it hits volume two, but not with one of its best titles – far from it. This is the second book in a row where the script lumpenly tells us all we need to know three times per scene (if I played a drinking game every time a character says the name Foresight for no reason I'd be days sobering up enough to type this out), and as nobody actually realised the main bloke here has Down's last time, that's forced down our throats too. Just witness him ask someone to have a codename twenty times, only for it to be mentioned once. With all that verbiage you get something that clearly is a four-parter padded out to five issues, but still some of the snappy deftness that was about the only redeeming quality last time. The art certainly isn't a major plus point – at several points our version of Barbara Gordon looks FAF, and other times like the back end of a horse. I'm not dismissing this as the chance of a light read if and when volume three arises, but the kick up the behind this title needed must be swinging ever closer...

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Superb Vol 2: Generation Wars' from David F. Walker and Sheena C. Howard was a pretty good improvement over the first volume.

Cosmosis, Amina and Abbie have avoided detection, but not before Foresight Corporation has captured Cosmosis and Amina's parents. Now it's time for a bold rescue mission. We also find out that Foresight has their own super-powered kids and wants to use them to capture our heroes. Of course, things don't go well, and there are some surprises along the way, like Cosmosis wanting to quit being a hero.

The story made a bit more sense this time around, maybe because I'm learning the universe, or maybe because there was less jumping around from past to present. That still happens here, but in the earlier issues it makes more sense. The art by Alitha Martinez and Ray-Anthony Height isn't bad. Overall, I'm curious enough to know what happens next.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much like Volume 1 of Superb, I still didn't care for Jonah's character design (and the overall artwork/character designs), and the pacing/plotting is still plodding. (e-galley from NetGalley)

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2020 Task #21: Book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non)

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ignoring the fact that I haven’t read volume 1 and don’t really know what’s going on, I still really enjoyed this comic. A bunch of teenagers trying to be superheros is trite but fun.
The diversity is awesome. I love that a kid with disabilities (down syndrome) gets to be a superhero.
I wish it didn’t end on a cliffhanger though; I had hoped that more would happen in a volume.