Superheroes Deconstructed
Deconstruction is taking something traditional and looking at in a new, non-traditional way. Here are some graphic novels which look at the idea of a superhero in quite a unique way.
Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl by Brian Michael Bendis
Heroes glide through the sky on lightning bolts and fire. Flamboyant villains attempt daring daylight robberies. God-like alien creatures clash in epic battle over the night-time sky. And on the dirty city streets below, homicide detective Christian Walker does his job. He has to investigate the shocking murder of one of the world's most popular superheroes, Retro Girl. Walker has teamed up with spunky rookie Deena Pilgrim as the murder investigation takes them from the seediest underbelly the city has to offer to the gleaming towers that are home to immortal beings. As hidden truths about Retro Girl come to light, Walker finds that to solve this crime, he may have to reveal a dark secret. Bendis and company have continued the Powers series, much to fans' delight.
Astro City: Life in the Big City by Kurt Busiek
An original take on the lives of superheroes. The first story is about a flying hero with super strength in a red & blue costume, here known as The Samaritan. At night he dreams of flying through the air for the pure joy of it, but in reality he is too busy stopping criminals, saving the world and balancing the life of his alter ego, reporter Asa Martin. Also try the other books in the Astro City series.
Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross
With story by Busiek and fully painted art by Ross, this retelling of key moments in the birth of the Marvel Universe characters is one not to be missed. From the 1930s through the late 20th century, we are presented with the origin stories of Marvel's best known characters – the original Human Torch, Namor: the Sub Mariner, Spiderman, the X-Men and more – all as seen through the eyes of Phil Sheldon, a newspaper photographer who's experienced "the marvels" from ground level.
Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman
The always inventive Gaiman has concocted an unlikely – but fantastically successful – superhero comic that transfers Marvel's classic characters to the Elizabethan period. Nick Fury is still a lethal government operative, but now he's an adviser to Queen Elizabeth. Her Majesty is equally reliant on magician and doctor Stephen Strange. X-Men mentor Charles Xavier still shepherds a band of mutant teens, only now he's called Carlos Javier, and the mutants are known, and mistrusted, as "witchbreed." Carlos's mysterious nemesis has taken on a new job: grand inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition. Peter Parker (here "Parquah") is still a confused but well-meaning teenager who has yet to be bitten by a radioactive spider. Placed in a period landscape, these familiar characters must grapple with the issues of the day, chief among them the machinations of the evil King James of Scotland. And, in classic superhero style, they must save the world.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Writer/artist Frank Miller completely reinvents the legend of Batman in his saga of a near-future Gotham City gone to rot, 10 years after the Dark Knight's retirement. Crime runs rampant in the streets, and the man who was Batman is still tortured by the memories of his parents' murders. As civil society crumbles around him, Bruce Wayne's long-suppressed vigilante side finally breaks free of its self-imposed shackles. The Dark Knight returns in a blaze of fury, taking on a whole new generation of criminals and matching their level of violence. Also try Miller's sequel Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again.
Supreme by Alan Moore
This clever work retells the history of superhero comic books as reflected through Moore's retro drawings and superheroes modeled on characters and narrative styles from the 1930s to today. Suffering from amnesia, Supreme has returned to Earth, but must also return to his roots – his small-town family, allies and bombastic enemies – to discover his origins. In his everyday identity, he's a mild-mannered comic book artist who draws a line of violent superheroes. As Supreme investigates his past, readers are treated to a delightful series of tongue-in-cheek flashbacks to revised versions of the Golden and Silver eras of comics. Also try the sequel Supreme: The Return.
Tom Strong by Alan Moore
Tom Strong was raised in a high-gravity chamber invented by his eccentric scientist father and given a special root that granted him longevity and health. As a result, he is extremely tough and strong, in addition to being a genius. Tom combines characteristics of the Superman and Tarzan legends, and includes elements of Doc Savage and other early pulp heroes.
Top Ten by Alan Moore
What if everybody had a superpower of some sort? Who would police the citizens in a world where ordinary people, as well as criminals big and small, all had amazing abilities to fly, become invisible, or a myriad of other powers? Here, Moore imagines just such a world and shows us the stories and lives of the police men and women in the precinct known as Top Ten. Also try the other books in Moore's award-winning Top Ten series.
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Boy, there sure is a lot of Alan Moore on this list, eh? But, hey, he's one of the best and is great at showing us "the other side" of superheroes. Here, in his masterwork, a group of superheroes plagued by all too human failings fall from grace, while the concept of the superhero is dissected and inverted, as strangely realistic characters are stalked by an unknown assassin.
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
Superman's retired, Batman's too old to fight, and Lex Luthor is finally poised to take over the world. Well, that's almost what happens... This story takes place in the not-too-distant future when a new generation of super-"heroes" has emerged. The trouble is, they're more concerned with using their powers for their own sake and little concerned with helping humanity. Add that on top of the new and older generations of super criminals wreaking havoc throughout the world. It's up to the old timers to show these young punks what it takes to be a real hero, but are the older heroes up to the challenge? A great story by Waid with truly amazing art by Ross!