Polite Dissent

Being a fan of alternate history and super-heroes, I enjoyed Planet of the Capes. It’s certainly not a “happily ever after” book, but then it never pretends to be one.

The book tells of four super-heroes from an alternate Earth who find themselves transported to our Earth. Each of the characters is clearly based on a classic comic icon, though with an interesting twist or two thrown in.

The art, initially, is black and white. The tone of the book at this point is very somber, so the simple color scheme fits it well. The middle section reverts to color. “Reverts,” because this section looks back on these characters’ “Silver Age” and all the comic-book baggage that implies. The final third of the book turns somber again and returns to black and white.

The art by Brandon McKinney is well-done and adds to the story. I particularly enjoyed his black and white sequences. Larry Young’s writing is what really grabbed my attention. In a brief encounter with an autograph seeker, the four heroes reveal more about themselves than pages of expository dialogue ever could. There is some nice foreshadowing thrown in as well in the articles showing in the fan’s scrapbook.

There are undoubtedly deeper meanings written into the characters and plot. Because that sort of interpretation is not mt forte, I’m not going to dwell on that aspect. If you want that, go read Dave or Steve and Rose…they’re good at it. I’m not a comic book scholar (well, except maybe Hawk and Dove). What I am is a comic book fan and a super-hero fan. On that level, I certainly enjoyed this book.

My only real gripe is that it was too short. I would have liked to see more of the characters. Not necessarily on our Earth, but more stories on theirs. But I think that’s the alternate history fan talking again…