What happens when you are a Super-Zero in a world of Super-Heroes? Follow Norman, a journalist, as he handles being the day to day of being normal in a world filled with supers in Citizen #1 by Action Lab Comics!
THE CITIZEN #1
Writer: Charlie McFarland
Artist: Aleksander Jovic
Colorist: Aleksandar Jovic
Editor: Nicole D’Andria
Publisher: Action Lab Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: August 5th, 2020
Previously in The Citizen: The Citizen is a digital first story about a non-super human in a city full of costumed villains. A man who is the only one not responding when a crisis is on the horizon. A journalist who is there to actually tell the story instead of trying to stop the villain. Check out Norman as he manages the day-to-day life of normalcy.
A DAILY DOSE OF NORMA(N)LCY
Norman starts his day by contemplating the story of Superman and the fact that he is the only hero to save the world and how nice that must be. As a bank is being robbed, he is the only person left in the office. As he heads home, he is approached by Audrey, the super known as Poetic Justice, Audrey offers to walk him home because a few days earlier he was jumped by the group “Cat-tastrophe”. He is then also offered to go out with Gregory Moss who is a super known as The Human Vine. Norman declines and heads home to his superhero roommate, Stonehenge.
Stonehenge flies out the window (after drinking a six-pack) and immediately crashes into another flying super. Meanwhile, Poetic Justice and The Human Vine go and check up on Norman right when Cat-tastrophe shows up to fight them. As the two supers go off to change into their hero identity, Norman takes a water spout and splashes water on the cat crew to save the day!
A LITTLE DOSE OF FUN
This feels like a very long comic strip filled with humor, fun, and a fair bit of satire. We get to see a trope of god among men flipped around to see a man among gods. It is quite amusing to see the superheroes have to come down to mundane levels. This book doesn’t take itself too seriously and it was a rather nice change of pace compared to the books that I have been reading recently.
The artwork was simple and I think that reflected the simplicity of the protagonist. It really opens the writing to allow the jokes to shine. Watching Stonehenge drunk fly into another super was a particular highlight for me. I also enjoy seeing Action Lab recover from the pandemic and are releasing comics again.
BOTTOM LINE: FUN AND SIMPLE
Recently, I’ve been following the Empyre event and seeing a lot of complex themes that reflect society. It was nice to take a moment and just enjoy a comic that tells us a simple punch line. On top of that the digital release is cheap and I would suggest checking it out if you need a good laugh! 4 out of 5 stars for The Citizen #1.
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The Citizen #1
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com