PUBLISHERS WEEKLY --
Winner of the 2017 Ringo Award for Best Webcomic in
its original online format, this lively graphic novel is a fast-moving, funky
twist on the standard superhero. Haspiel (<i>Beef with Tomato</i>) gives the
setting-as-character concept a literal version, imagining Brooklyn awakening as
a life force when its people secede from New York State. Only Sam Brosia, a
costumed superthief called the Red Hook, can save the heart of Brooklyn by
turning from crime to become a hero. This postmodern Jack Kirby-style adventure
injects superhero tropes into contemporary urban politics-or is it vice versa?
Underneath the fantastic, funny exterior lies a fable of strength and
righteousness populated by heroes and villains with punny local names: the
Coney, the Sheep's Head, gang boss Benson Hurst, and superhero the Green Point,
who bestows upon Sam “the Omni-Fist of Altruism,” an inner
selflessness, and borough awareness. Haspiel's dynamic and energetic page
layouts lean into the over-the-top visual absurdity of his gag, with characters
in spandex costumes battling as urban ballet against a backdrop of recognizable
Brooklyn architecture rendered with detail and authenticity. Haspiel sets up a
playful, novel mythology in the Red Hook's mission of salvation with room to
expand (despite rent inflation!) in the ongoing series.
<i>(June)</i><br /><br /><br />