Superfreaks Vol. 1: The New Wave

Superfreaks #1-5

by Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet, Margaux Saltel (Illustrator)

Get ready to binge read an all-new superhero mystery collected in its entirety with art by rising star Margaux Saltel, making her series debut, and written by Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet (IDW's Infinite Loop). Collecting all 5 issues.

All the world's superheroes have disappeared overnight, and it's up to their untrained, largely overlooked teenage sidekicks to find out what happened--while dealing
with the biggest crisis Earth has ever known--much to the public's displeasure. Can they save the day?

Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. This title is available as part of comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited, and Prime Reading.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Ebooks

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2018

About the author

ELSA CHARRETIER is a writer and comic book artist.

After debuting on COWL at Image Comics, Elsa co-created THE INFINITE LOOP with writer Pierrick Colinet at IDW.

She has since worked at DC Comics (STARFIRE, BOMBSHELLS, HARLEY QUINN), Marvel Comics (THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP) and Random House (WINDHAVEN, written by George R.R. Martin).

She has also written THE INFINITE LOOP vol.2 as well as SUPERFREAKS, and is a regular artist on the STAR WARS ADVENTURES books.

Reviews

[Luisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I can say about this series, but that its story falls flat from character dialogue and tone. The story feels rushed and could have been given more time and love to fix some of its corners. I didn’t like how some characters felt for three dimensional than others, like Blue Aura and Red. There are so many characters that have potential to expand on their backstories. Perhaps if this was written as a graphic novel series, each character would have their own story to tell.

What also turned me off were some of the dialogue pieces. Some of them felt fabricated, just to be written for the sake of it instead of adding something to the overall story. The jabs done at religion and the kids itself seem too harsh and almost unrealistic for the universe itself. Why is it that in Issue #3 the doctor in the hospital goes full angry on them? There is no reason for that exaggeration in a dire situation.

I also want to add that the narration reminds me of the handholding narrative done back in old comics, like Marvel and Fantastic Four. It was more of a distraction than a helpful hand, especially in the last two issues where it felt like it was breaking the fourth wall? That threw me out of the loop for a moment.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend the comic for anyone who wants a fresh view on sidekicks. This feels more like a satire on the concept, but it’s already been done before. Better, I might add. The art is great, I like the costume designs for all of the supers.

[Sneha Jaiswal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of teen hero sidekicks, trained only to fetch coffee for their big-name bosses, are left to save planet Earth when the senior heroes suddenly disappear one day.

This was kinda cute, chaotic, and had some of that 'Teen Titans' energy. But there are too many characters, and it's difficult to remember their names or their register their personalities in this quick volume.

If the artwork had been sharper, I would've probably enjoyed it a lot more, but the coloring and design styles were more distracting than engaging - because I am usually a super fan of colorful, glossy comics.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good artwork, but didn't care for the writing that much. Too much happening too quickly with too many characters. Only character who was close to three-dimensional was Blue Aura. It had a few good moments, and it's heart was in the right place, which stopped me from giving it only two stars.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a little raw, but there are some really interesting ideas here and an energy that is infectious. I'd actually be very open to more comics set in this world or to more projects from these creators.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim and though it was rough to start, I actually enjoyed it
a play on the sidekicks left without their mentors only to find that the mentors were not who they thought
it also walks the line of perceptions of that a villain is or is not

[Holly Letson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to LOVE this, but it turned out only being SO-So.

[Robin Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pride.com lists this comic as “for a new generation” and I tend to agree.

It was cute, progressive, and seemingly targeted towards a younger demographic.

[Gaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Ian Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, really cute story of sidekicks trying to save the world. Nothing really new or unusual, but also nothing bad. Seems like Amazon's pattern of hiring people who usually do something else (Charretier is known for her excellent art) to write.

[Tariq Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for fans of quirky tales on the super team. I loved the novel premise, sublime twists and teenage angst. Go sidekicks!