There’s a big moment in the second issue of The Mighty directly informed, at least in the general consciousness, by Superman Returns (I’d heard it’s from an Alex Ross piece, but whatever, I’ve never seen it)–Alpha One, the superhero of the book (the world’s only superhero), is up in the rain listening for trouble. It’s kind of cool and kind of not. It’s cool because it makes sense. It’s not because, well, it’s the whole global superhero only in one city thing. I mean, I get it, it’s a good sequence, but it’s not ideal.

Also not ideal is Snejbjerg’s art. I love the guy, but he doesn’t keep his characters consistent here. Alpha One looks different every panel (in fact, in a lot of them he looks like a complete psychopath).

The book’s a strong one–it’s a different approach, positive but remaining thoughtfully realistic–it’s just unsteady.

There have been superhero comics where the superheroes aren’t in it (just look at DC’s current Superman output), but I think I mean more like The Boys or something along those lines. These revisionist takes on superheroes, where it’s sometimes more about the reaction.

The Mighty takes it a step further. The superhero never says a word the entire issue; instead, it’s all about his support team. Tomasi and Champagne nicely bring the reader up to date on everything–it’s not the DC Universe, it’s its own thing–with one flashback and some interviews. It works well.

Until the end, when you’re left not knowing what’s going on and changing protagonists at the drop of a hat.

It’s a strong comic book with a weak final five pages. It needs something more substantial, instead of just vague insinuations.

Snejbjerg art is excellent as usual, but is a little looser here.