Mutants always seem to be getting a bad rap in the comic book worlds they inhabit. People are scared of them, government (or other) agencies want to control them, scientists want to experiment on them… and maybe they really just want to live their lives like anyone else. In Superb, from Lion Forge Comics, you get a bit of all of the usual scenarios with the twist that the mutants at issue are kids. 

Unlike other versions of characters with powers that were mutated through experiments or born that way, in Superb it’s all down to an asteroid that crashed near Youngstown, Ohio. Not long after that, kids and teens began to exhibit powers. Everything was going along fine until an enhanced kid lost control and caused an explosion that resulted in fatalities. That’s when detectors were installed at schools to discover if kids were “enhanced”. If they are, they’re taken away, but most people don’t know what happens after that.

Kayla is a seemingly typical teen whose parents work at the Foresight Research Facility, the place researching enhancements. Her friend Jonah is a stereotypical nerd who also happens to have Down syndrome. It turns out they’re both hiding things from each other and everyone else – Kayla is super strong, fast and has improved healing abilities, while Jonah has super strength, agility and telekinesis. He wants to rescue kids taken by Foresight and gets Kayla involved, but as often happens, things don’t exactly go as planned.

Superb is a fast-paced read that doesn’t necessarily go in the directions you’d expect from a typical hero comic. It’s interesting to note that the creators worked with the National Down Syndrome Society to ensure they crafted an accurate portrayal of an individual with Down syndrome. And even though the main characters are teens, this is not written specifically for a young audience. Not surprisingly, given David Walker’s involvement, the story has a bit of a Luke Cage feel to it (which is a good thing). No, it’s not highly original or a very deep plot, but it’s generally engaging, keeps you interested and flows well, plus there’s some really good art in the first few issues (I’m not a fan of the art from issue 4 onward – the different look affected the tone of the story).