Knight City wasn’t on my radar until my fellow co-host Jarrod picked it for his pick of the week. After hearing his thoughts I went and grabbed it. It’s one of my favorite comics I’ve read so far this year.
We follow a Superman-esque hero who is having a bit of a crisis. He’s tired of defeating the same villains over and over and being judged by the public on how he handles each situation. Why not just kill the villain and stop this endless cycle? He can’t ever escape the cries for help, the guilt of not being there to save people who need him. He can’t get a moment of peace and quiet without being riddled with guilt.
How can a superhero who has become responsible for so many peoples lives ever have a personal life? When he has a moment with someone, it is a moment away from saving the next person who is screaming for his help. Their deaths are on his hands, and it’s because he took a moment for himself.
The book takes a serious look at what it would be like to be a hero in a world where you are responsible for saving someone at any moment. Imagine the guilt of not being there and knowing those people died because you were doing something else, or even getting a few minutes of sleep? It reminded me a bit of the book Irredeemable by Mark Waid back in 2009, where a super hero loses his mind and begins killing all the other hero’s and anyone else who gets in his way.
There is also another plot element introduced that I won’t spoil here that adds a whole different element to the story, which I appreciated.
The art by David Lapham shines, giving this book the look and feel that works well with the story. I’ve always been a fan of Lapham, the art is crisp and clean.
This is a great first issue and I’m excited to see where the story takes us. It was my choice for Pick of the Week this week because it kept me thinking long after I finished the book. That’s always exciting and doesn’t happen that often.
Take a listen to the other books we discussed this week here.
