Molly Jackson: My Favorite Comic You’ve Never Read
This week I attended Big Apple Con, another small con in the big city of New York. While I was there I got to bug Papercutz editor-in-chief Jim Salicrup once more about a book I recommended that he still hasn’t read yet. In fact, it’s my favorite superhero comic. And I’m betting you’ve never heard of it.
My favorite comic is The Life and Times of Savior 28 written by J.M. DeMatteis and art by Mike Cavallaro. It was published by IDW Publishing oh so long ago in 2009. I remember seeing the ad for it in another comic and the art really caught my eye. Not just for the style or skill (which is fantastic in its execution), but the brutal, raw story captured in one panel. It just drew me in and I knew I had to read it.
The hero Savior 28 is like the “Superman” of DeMatteis’ realistic earth. The story shows how much the human spirit can handle and how one good man can be crushed by sadness. We start the comic at our hero’s final moment and relive his life through the words of his former sidekick. We watch Savior 28 battle evil from every turn and how he tries to cope with what he sees, not just in evil doers, but in everyday people.
Savior 28 is definitely inspired by DC Comics characters like Superman and Batman, but also pulls from Watchmen. The manipulation of the heroes as well as the government is similar in comparison. Additionally, see the two things that make the book’s impact so strong. One is the real events playing a role. The second is the slow fall from grace of our main character. After seeing so much horror, how hard does a hero have to fight for his own inner peace?
I’ve honestly declared myself the book’s defacto PR person, even if it is just me pushing it to one person at a time. I “took over” a Cavallaro comic signing just to promote it to the crowd. It’s ok though; I ended up selling the store’s only copy for them. Everyone has their favorite work and loves to talk about it with other fans. I’m just making sure I have other people to talk about it with!
I want to go into more details about the book and Savior 28’s character but I would rather you read his journey. It’s a fantastic book that I love so much, so please go check out The Life and Times of Savior 28. You won’t regret it.
