PTF Previews Super Suckers 3.1.

Well, we're back. And before I begin the review, I want to give you, the readers, some helpful advice. Just because you have a warranty on something it doesn't mean: A) the people you have the warranty with will come when they promise and B) that they will actually FIX what is wrong.

So yeah, apparently seven hundred dollars down the drain.


But lucky for me, Sitcomics is back so there are comics I can afford!

Super Suckers is the story of two college girls turned vampires, their personal blood bank/butt monkey and their cavalcade of friends and one shot antagonist and the hot guy of the issue as they try to live their undead lives.

When we last left off: RHO RHO RHO House was haunted by a vengeful spirit, Jess was possessed and Kelly learned—wait wait, wait. Something's off. That sounds like a bad fan fic.

Anyway, let's get to the review.

Things I liked:

The Story. Hey, it's vampires at the beach, a deadly game of frisbee, and a guy ending up with his head in a horse's butt. That's what I want in every comic. And it's pretty funny from the start with the Amish County exit cracking me up all the way to Vera leaving Stewart to die alone.. And I like the dynamic of Jess and Kelly. Jess is more of a loner who really just wants to study, Kelly is a people's person who pretty much just wants to socialize and meet boys. The Stewart and Vera dynamic is great. I'm a big fan of going overboard with slang and dialect (probably why I'm the only person I know who likes Gambit, my hombres.) so I like the Spencer character. This the first part of the story and it leaves at a good point where I want to read the next issue, so it accomplishes a lot. So credit to Darin Henry, Jenn Lloyd and Kevin Bonani.
 
The Art. Jeff Shultz. This is probably the best art I've seen from him. It has everything I like. You have different locals, different people, different things, it's just amazing work. Yeah, the old, "everyone looks the same" old school Archie art criticism is not here. It has everything you want. Heck, it has what I like the most: stuff happening in the background. I love going back and seeing what I missed in a first reading. I just love how Jonas and Virgil are drawn, you instantly hate them. Just a lot of talent and versatility in this issue.
 
The coloring and lettering. Hey anytime I can see DONK and SLAMMO, I'm happy. And there's a good example of lettering making a story funny. There's a panel on page nine where it looks like a kid has the word balloons on a string. I'm pretty sure there is a real balloon with the word balloons put over it—and it's just funnier to me this way. So score one for Marshall Dillon. And off topic, he should really thank his parents for an awesome name.  And Glen Whitmore is banging the colors once again. Jess's sunburn looks legit and it's just a wide range of colors from the grass to the ocean to the sand.
4. Senor Uva. It made me smile. And during this cold, harsh winter, I need reasons to smile since obviously heat will not be an option for me.



5. The Letter page. I don't normally read letter pages, but I went back and made special exception since one of our own is showcased. It was fun with Darin answering questions.




Things I didn't like:

Same commercials. Yeah, for anyone who's read the first two issues, we get just reprints of the old commercials. I mean, still good, but nothing new for me.
 

Didn't name Lyric and Summer. Nitpicky but they have appeared in every issue (well if we put the parts together). I mean, I knew them but if someone new was reading this they'd probably wonder who they were so probably a name drop would have been nice.
 


Things I've learned from reading this comic:

My dad would like this issue because it has a joke from his favorite movie, Police Academy.

• Hundo P is surfer slang for 100 percent and; coincidentally, will be the name of my next starter pokemon no matter what.
• First aid is a lot different than what I thought it would be.
• If you're an optimistic main character and have an internal thought, the universe will reward you.
• If you're a pessimistic main character who says "what could possibly go wrong?" The universe will show you.
• The hotter the female, the prickier the boyfriend.
• Can't invite someone of the same sex to a couples retreat and not expect being thought of as a couple in this liberal PC Netflix world we're living in.
• Jess is a pre-med student.
• I like this issue because it has a joke from my favorite movie, Muppet Treasure Island.
• Frisbee, the disc of doom.

 
This is a great issue. Makes me remember why I like the series, writing, humor, the art. It's just a great collaboration. Only had a few nitpicks here and there. And we still haven't met the nurse lady in the intro who I'm guessing is the bad guy of the issue. I got all six new issues at comixology for 1.99. I was going to get Blue Baron but I'm down 700 bucks and...they had Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on sale. So maybe next month?

Anyway, I give this issue an A. So anyone who hasn't read should give this series a chance. It's a super fun book.

So be here next time where we check on the condition of Stewart, learn how Jess will deal with being a fried tomato and if Kelly will date and/or eat Spencer. And other surprises I'm sure are in store in Super Suckers 3.2 Electric Boogaloo!

...

And yes, I will always make that joke.

I haven't as yet read the new issues of SUPER SUCKERS, but I'd just like to make an observation here, relative to comparing what ACP is publishing in the floppy comics format, and books like SUPER SUCKERS, DIE KITTY DIE!, and the various PixieTrix Comics of Gisele Lagace.

To me those other companies' evolution of an Archie-style teen humor comic seems like a total no-brainer... that is, they combine the visual appeal and comedic approach of the classic Archie Comics while jettisoning the "all-ages" approach in favor of a "PG-rated" comic book (because that's the consumer audience demographic that exists in the floppy comics marketplace... and indeed it makes no difference whether we are talking about print comics or digital comics).

So why isn't ACP doing comic books like this in the floppy (and digital) format? I had to think hard about that, but the answer appears to me to have a lot to do with Archie Comics' traditional "branding" of its most recognized characters as being ALL-ages, and the ongoing viability of the digest reprint titles for that same audience. ACP doesn't seem willing to put Archie & the gang out there as "PG-rated" characters drawn in the traditional classic style in a floppy comic book due to "brand confusion" that might lead younger readers (and their watchful parents) into confusing a PG-rated Archie comic (even a comic book featuring lesser-known or new characters) with a traditional all-ages Archie comic -- unless it's a glaringly obvious genre variation on the characters like the Archie Horror books. Non-horror titles then need to be identifiable immediately as "non-classic Archie" (for some reason... even though the New Riverdale floppy titles are, at best, written at the "TEEN" or "TEEN+" rating level). And that is done at a glance by differentiating the art style, and dispensing with any situation comedy approach. The closest that ACP has come to doing a title in the classic style aimed at a slightly older reader demographic than the traditional audience is LIFE WITH KEVIN -- and that was also differentiated at first glace, less by J. Bone's somewhat different inking style than by the monochrome coloring pallette, which immediately gives pause to a consumer, by signalling "wait a minute, there's something different about this Archie comic". Yet the loss of the appealing cartoon-style artwork and sitcom-type comedy tropes in the New Riverdale comics robs the Archie characters of the greatest strength of their original appeal. It's not the names of the characters that compel me to purchase a comic about those characters, nor even the basic (although modified in New Riverdale comics) orientation of the characters' relationships to each other.

Thankfully, other people like Sitcomics, AstroComix, and Pixie Trix Comics recognize where the basic appeal of this type of teen humor comic lies, and aren't bound up in some kind of marketing dilemma over how to splinter the characters into various different versions adapted and aimed at completely different demographics.

I forgot to mention this, but I simply don't know how Darin Henry can afford to offer a 64-page Binge Book printed floppy comic book for a mere $3.99... it seems crazy on the face of it, from an economics point of view, when other comic book publishers of floppy comics are offering 20 pages of story content for the same price.

A wonderful kind of crazy, mind you, in which the consumer is the big winner -- the 64-page Binge Book for $3.99 is like getting 3 floppy comics for the price of 1. This is no cheaply printed book with sloppy coloring on tissue-thin newsprint, either, but the same quality paper and coloring you get with the mainstream publishers like Marvel and DC. That's pretty amazing!

PTF Reviews Super Suckers 3.2  Electric Balloon!!!

...Awwwhh, I messed it up!!!

Our quad of heroes are at a beach for a couples retreat and so far Jess has a wicked sun burn, Kelly is drinking the Archie as a lifeguard stand in, Stewart was maimed playing frisbee and Vera's looks about ready to get her freak on.





Things I liked.

1.   Nurse Peggy. Well, the nurse lady is the antagonist of the story and is bat puking insane!!! Let's a guy die, kidnaps Stewart based on his love of Doctor Who and that frickin' insane face. So yeah, we got a nice Steven King homage.

2.   The writing. Again it's very humorous and well paced. I love the idea of an injury prone life guard. I'm hoping the next issue he's in a body cast. And I like the foreshadowing of Nurse Peggy seeming pretty nice and then you think "well, maybe that guy dying wasn't just meant for humor." And we're seeing a pretty big difference between Jess and Kelly in controlling their bloodlust. At least Jess options for a consensual donor. And Kelly's karmatic punishment is pretty fun as she continues to be mistaken for a lesbian. And we're again left at a good point where you want to see is going to happen next. I think my favorite joke is Kelly blowing on Jess to agitate her sunburn.

3.   The art. Cripes, that insane face! That's like a cartoon going along and then pulling a Ren and Stimpy freak out on you. And yeah, we're getting the same quality art we all come to expect from Jeff Shultz. Whitmore is doing his fantastic job as well. Love the night beach scene and how consistent he is with Jess's sunburn. The lettering was great with the guy dying a slow, painful death.

4.   Hey, new commercial. Man, remember when people didn't get whiney when a hero caused collateral damage? People, fighting a guy that can lift a planet is going to be messy.

5.   Jess. She's a good friend. Just thought I'd give her props for having standards on drinking blood and showing concern for her friends.

6.   The Cover. It's funny and well drawn but there might be one problem for some people...

Things I didn't like.

1.   Me and Stewart agreeing on Doctor Who. This had better be just a coincidence! I swear if next issue I read, Stewart hates Michael Bendis comics and loves Tyler Perry movies, I'll know something's up!  Ah, this brings back memories of when I'd wake up early in the morning and Brit American only aired The 4th Doctor episodes over and over. Now it's just Star Trek Voyager. Yuck.


2.   The cover. I personally like it, but I've heard complaints all my comic reading life about covers that don't have anything to do with the story inside. Me? If it looks good, I'm happy. And I think it's funny, but you know there's this one person who will complain.



Things I learned from what I read.

1.   Me and Stewart have the exact same taste in Doctor Who. Seriously, that's weird. Am I being trolled??  It's not funny if I am!!
2.   I learned more about Stewart's underwear than I ever wanted to.
3.   If you're as clumsy as Spencer, you deserve to be a vampire's mocha.
4.   Eastern Shore Hospital has a loose dress code. I live in the South and you have to have on a shirt and shoes to enter the local roadside fuel and sundry industry.
5.   Ingrown toenails are serious!!
6.   Ever see Jennifer's Body? Kelly is starting to remind me a lot of that movie.
7.   Stewart has A+ blood.
8.   Stewart's last name is Noss.
9.   The people of Metropolis would love to have Magic Insurance's Super Hero Policy.
10.   This issue did not help my dislike of hospitals.


Yeah, it's another good issue. Things are going along, characters get their moments to shine and show off their personality dispositions, a crazy sci-fi nurse. Hey, it's the insanity I've come to expect. And I really couldn't find anything I disliked.  I give an A.

So next issue we finish up. Will there be a wedding? A rescue?  A funeral? Well, find out next time.

Re: covers that don't have anything to do with the story inside -- doesn't that apply to about 98% of all the comic books ACP has published in 75+ years of business? In the 1940s, and even well into the 1950s, that was almost standard practice for most comics publishers. Since the 1960s, and the rise of the superhero genre as the 500-pound gorilla of comic book genres, the opposite has come to be true. The teen humor comics genre doesn't really need to follow that policy, though.

Re: The commercials -- on TV you see the same commercials constantly, over and over again. Sitcomics are aiming to recreate a TV sitcom format in their comics, so commercial reruns seem to fit with that idea.

PTF Reviews Super Suckers 3.3


Sorry for being late on this review. First there was the Super Bowl where, after a season of getting everything their way, the karma fairy finally got The Patriots! And then Tuesday, my Uncle had an allergic reaction to a cold pill. And fell down. A lot. Don't worry he didn't hurt himself and the pill has just about worn off and he's getting his strength back.

So this review will be a little shorter because I am super tired. Speaking of things that are "super"

LET'S REVIEW SUPER SUCKERS!!!





Things I liked.

1.   The writing. Well, the story was well paced over the three issues, beginning, middle, and ending. And things wrapped up nicely save for one thing that I'll go into later in the review. And it was a pretty funny issue with Nurse Peggy being bat puking insane. I loved Kelly sacrificing Jess so she could get the file to rescue Stewart. Stewart's attitude after the rescue. And I like the twist of Vera falling in love with Stewart for real. And I liked how things worked out for Jess as she did get rewarded for all she had to deal with this story.


2.   The art. It's nice having an artist like Jeff Shultz. He makes my life so easy. I like his art style, he draws each character different, everything is well laid out. And he does little things that I enjoy. Just check out Spencer's hearts as the comic goes. And Whitmore does a great job with the colors. I just love how I can tell what time of day it is because of his colors. Really puts me into the story. The lettering is great and if you like the old Batman show, you'll be really happy with this issue. BLEED. Yep.


Things I didn't like.

1. Kelly's a jerk. A super jerk. I was waiting on this one since this really is just one story I bought in three separate issues, and I've been waiting to see how this ends, but yeah. Kelly's is mean this story. Like with Jess (just making it hard for her to study and leaving her in the hospital) and Vera (drinking her blood while she's asleep). I can over look these two a bit because Jess did get the time to study (not Kelly's intent) and she did save Stewart...where she was channeled her inner Punisher. But hey, Peggy, did kidnap someone, was crazy, and did hit her with a shovel.

My problem is with Spencer. I'm a big supporter of the Bugs Bunny rule where if someone is a jerk to you or gets in your way maliciously...you have every right to go at them and never stop. Spencer never did anything to deserve being put in worse and worse condition by Kelly. I mean, he called her a "freak" but I don't warrants broken bones. I would have been fine with this if he had been shown to be uncaring about people on the beach or just some negative aspect, but he was just clumsy. That's kind of like seeing a guy with a broke arm and going "wouldn't it be funny if he other arm was broke?"

Of course, considering my last few days, I might be sensitive to the whole falling thing. But if you did a Jim from "The Office" where he goes over everything he's done to Dwight—Kelly doesn't look to good this issue.

2.   Not all the cast. This one's more for sticklers who want to see every character in the comic appear. Me, I don't mind. This is a pretty crammed issue. And it wouldn't make sense for Trevor to be there. But I don't get why Paisley/"other name she went by I can't remember right now" isn't here. I mean, you have Clover, but, um, yeah, she just exists for Jonas to be her boyfriend. Why have a new character for that? Unless she pulls a Trevor; which at that point, I'm going to have to skim ahead to make sure I don't look like a dumb-dumb again.


Things I've learned from what I read.
1.   Kelly's a psychopath.
2.   Kelly was poor and lived in a trailer.
3.   Oh, so that's how you treat severe sunburns.
4.   Fly by Knight definitely better than Southwest Airlines.
5.   Never tell an insane woman you want to be "just friends." Heck, don't tell any woman that!
6.   Mr. Wubbzy looked like he didn't approve of Peggy's fiancé.
7.   Dewhurst Cola, top selling beverage in the Delmarvia Pennisula.
8.   You can't kill a vampire with a shovel to the back of the head.
9.   If you pretend hard enough, it will become real. Right, Rick the Outer Space Rocket Bandit? ...He says yes and you can't have Uranus back.
10.   No lady, this is not Riverdale. And you should be glad. Riverdale has become a much, much darker place.

It was a really good story. I liked the art and I liked the writing. My main problem is Kelly being a tad uncharacteristically mean. And even then she did help out her friends and my main gripe is to a one shot character who made Archie look like Captain Safety.  It's still a funny, well drawn book that I think should be given a chance by everyone. Especially at the price.

I give this issue a B+ and I can't wait for the next issue. So thanks to everyone reading my reviews and please pick up these issues.

Thanks for the reviews and the feedback, PTF!  Very enlightening.


Any chance you'll share your thoughts on issue 4's 3 digital chapters?

Sure. Read 4.1 late last night and I'll post my review some time.