So a week ago, give or take a week, the stands of your friendly neighborhood comic book store (or perhaps your not-so-friendly neighborhood comic book store, depending on where you live) were graced with the presence of another book by Warren Ellis. While it involves super-humans, as Ellis' books tend to do, the book has absolutely nothing to do with 'heroes', so if you're sick to death of them, you might want to check this out.
But what is Supergod about, you ask? Let us refer you to Ellis himself, who said: "Black Summer was about superhumans who were too human. No Hero was about superhumans who were inhuman. Supergod is about superhumans who are no longer human at all, but something else. The third leg of a thematic trilogy if you like."
The three series mentioned here are not part of a 'continuity', no, but they explore themes of superhumanity that a lot of comics don't bother with. Sure, it's fun to imagine that if Your Comic Book Examiner suddenly developed laser beam eyes and the ability to fly, he'd put his underwear on outside his pants and fight crime. And if you watch the local news, you know there's a lot of it hereabouts of late.
But really, would you? If you developed massive powers above and beyond those of your fellow man (or woman), would you use them to help people, or would you use them to suit your own purposes? At what point do you stop caring what others think, and simply decide to reorder the world to suit your fancy? When would you evolve past sociopathy into abject, alien thought processes?
Supergod is a look at one possibility therein. The first issue of this series is set after the superhumans have destroyed the world, the beginning of the end being described by a man with direct knowledge of the various events leading up to this cataclysm. It's caked with mockery for man's apparent need to worship something - anything - and shows what happens when his would-be gods come home to roost.
It's a good time. If you're looking for something vaguely subversive (either to super-heroes or religion), Supergod is the book for you. It's only $3.99 and from Avatar Press, which is where you get most of Ellis' creator owned series these days.
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