#capes inc

[girlsofcomics]

Knockout

-Real name: Sarah

-A.k.a.:-

-Publisher: Skybound

-Type: Human

-Afilliations: Capes Inc, Guardians of the Globe

-Powers: Special boxing gloves that gives her superhuman strength and durability, agility, invulnerability, stamina, unarmed combat

[adorkablegrrl-blog]

Flashback Review: Robert Kirkman & Mark Englert's "Capes: Punching the Clock"

In an effort to actually read more comics and maintain my reviewing skills, I'm going to be posting some random reviews of older stuff/stuff I like on this here blog...

You know what? I really liked Robert Kirkman & Mark Englert's Capes. I know everyone thinks it sucks next to The Walking Dead and Invincible, but I found it light, fun and an excellent read on a Sunday afternoon where I was wiped out and just wanted to giggle.

Originally a three book mini-series, Image released the trade paperback in 2007 which collected the original three stories along with an ongoing back page sequential which appeared in single issues of Invincible from 2003-forward.

Sharing the same universe as Invincible (you will see multiple references to Invincible, Omni-Man and The Guardians of the Globe, through out) the story arc is focused on following the super-powered employees of "Capes, Inc." a government funded agency which hires out heroes to cities, etc. to keep crime in check. Our lead characters are Bolt, Kid Thor, Knockout, Claire Voyant, the Meteor Twins, Commander Capitalism, Captain Cosmic and Mega Brain.

What was interesting to me about this book was idea of superheroes being approached from the perspective of "hey, this is my job, this is a paycheck - I feel no real moral impetus or compunction to save the world beyond that." Multiple times Bolt comments to Commander Capitalism "I'm going to need back pay for the last [amount of time]" and the Commander directs him to fill out and submit a form. The idea of superhero-ing as a business with drudgery similar to the reader's day-in, day-out is new and I wish that this series had been a bit more successful so that Kirkman & Englert could have gotten their feet under them and developed the series a bit more before it was tanked and scrapped.

The writing and art are nothing special to write home about, although the book was executed well and the concept is fun. There are many especially funny moments (like when Knockout and Kid Thor go out on a date and Kid Thor notes the marked difference in Knockout's physical appearance in private vs. at the office)... And, I feel like there were more good stories to be told in this uni with these characters. Also fun, is that these are characters that Kirkman had been telling stories with and ruminating on since he was a wee high-school comic geek. Some of the secondary characters (like Gorilla Man - BEST SUPE EVER - just a dude in a cheap gorilla suit) clearly show that they were included for sentimental reasons. But, hey, that's cool stuff right there... at least I think so.

Most likely you're going to find this trade in a discount bin (I picked it up thanks to Third Coast Comics' $5 table) or you'll need to order off Amazon. But, if you're a fan of either Kirkman or Englert, it's a good add to your overall collection and it's not even wasted collector money, because the book is also worth the read. If you've not read/viewed books by these creators, I'd still recommend picking it up if you find it, as it's a light, fun read. I give Capes: Punching the Clock by Robert Kirkman & Mark Englert a solid B.