Review: CATALYST PRIME SUPERB #15

Lion Forge“s Catalyst Prime universe of superhero stories continues to engage and entertain readers (from ALL demos) in Superb #15. A refreshingly clear script from David Walker and the beautiful craftsmanship of Alitha Martinez make Superb a powerful reminder of what we love most about superhero comics. Jonah ”“ the superb protagonist with down syndrome is the underdog you always want to root for; he is sullen and steely, with the kind of dry wit that endears you to him instantly. But is also, somehow, the most authentic superhero you can follow from month to month.

Superb #15 flashes back to the moment when Jonah“s parents get the news that their unborn baby will have this affliction. Down syndrome is a congenital chromosome defect that can cause physical and intellectual disabilities. Jonah must be the very first superhero to have it ”“ and his own comic book title. The series is a study in how disability and discrimination go hand in hand all too often in our real world. It doesn“t take superhuman senses to appreciate how debilitating that discrimination can be on the soul of a young man. Part of what we come to understand in Superb #15 is that how we treat people with disabilities is often more tragic than the disability itself. If great responsibility comes with great power, than Superb models for readers the ways in which the great challenges of a disability instill a sense of heroic responsibility within those who must live their lives in our ablest centered world.

“Face Your Fear”“ follows Jonah and his teen cohort of heroes on a rescue mission to a strange lab inhabited by even stranger predators and helpless captives. But this story is less about the mission and more about what Jonah must endure as he and his teammates go about their heroic business. The “r-word”“ is never fully articulated in Superb but it looms in and around some of its characters“ speech bubbles. That a superhero can suffer more from the hate directed at him by his peers than the perils of inhuman bad guys is just one more powerful feature of what David Walker achieves in this issue (and the series overall).

Superb #15 is an excellent onboard point for new readers. As a young boy, Jonah idolized a comic book hero called Cosmosis. The comic within the comic is fully realized as its own origin story ”“ “Cosmosis #1”“ ”“ which is also written by Walker but illustrated in classic silver-age style by Bladermar Rivas. Superb #15 is two stories for the price of one, but reading an engaging, complex story about a hero who learns to master his disability even as he develops his mastery of his superhuman abilities is a rare and delightful comic book experience. 4/5.

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(W) David Walker (A) Alitha Martinez, Maarta Laiho,Â David Cabeza (CA) Anthony Piper