Love and Capes #3

Posted: Wednesday, May 23, 2007
By: Steve Saville

Cover of Love and Capes #3 Creator(s): Thom Zahler
Publishers: Maerkle Press
From: USA
Price: US$ 3.95

After the Christmas issue what else but the Valentines issue. From the opening though we realise that all is not well in the 'lovey dovey' super hero, sit- com world of Mark and Abbey as Charlotte [Abbey’s sister] has had just about enough of having to watch the budding romance of the ‘perfect’ couple while she remains dateless and lonely [apart from her toy teddy bear that is].

So in an attempt to end sibling jealousy our super hero and his girl enter the dangerous realm of internet dating.
It all turns to custard however when it is discovered that Charlotte’s first date is with the arch villain the Cyber Lord.

As you can see the plot is increasingly leaning towards standard sit com fare [apart from the super villain bit] verging on soap opera, and this presents a bit of a problem.

This is still a sharp and funny comic and the two main characters endearing in their frailties but it comes close in this latest instalment to losing its unique flavour. The tension between the world of the super hero and the world of the romantic guy have always been kept by Zahler in a tight balance but here I feel the romantic world is dominant and that is to the detriment of the comic as a whole. It could be that my expectations of ‘Love and Capes’ are just too high but I didn’t feel as gratified by this latest edition as I did after reading the previous two.

Jealousy seems to be the operative word in this edition and even Mark is not immune as he reveals a bitter side to his nature when he realises that the other super heroes seem to be getting all the media attention.

The art work is still of a very high standard and the dialogue tight but the edge is just starting to wane. Never mind, the prospect of a free fourth edition as part of Free Comic Day is enough for me to start counting down the days till May so it can’t have been that disappointing can it.

In a Word: Jaded.



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