Well it looks like the number one comic crush of my life, Leslie, is back and is still trying to prove to America and the world that she has what it takes to become a Super Hero Idol. But will she have what it takes to make it through the rigorous test and scrutiny? Who knows but I bet she’ll look cute as a button the whole time! As Leslie and the rest of the hopefuls continue to get their every move judged by a panel of judges the contestants learn that the show is more of a way for the producers of Superhero Idol to package and sell them to the public. As Leslie comes to terms with that fact she begins to notice how superficial the other contestants truly are. They don’t have any real reason to be here other than desire for fame. This is the very same reason that Leslie keeps to herself and just focuses on getting better.
In the training room Leslie is interrupted by a fellow contestant that tells her that the whole production is the equivalent to a game. She hears him out but his delivery is so pompous laced that she just takes it with a grain of salt and moves on.
As more contestants get eliminated the competition becomes fiercer. Soon, the trials move from destroying armies of robots to a pack of hologram super villains. In that batch of villains, Stasis the man who ruined Leslie’s life. Second guessing how anyone could have known that he was the reason that she was here, Leslie goes ballistic and gives the viewers something to cheer about. After the trail is over the judges do their part on analyzing the performance. After the results Leslie is given some unexpected news.
I like where David Schwartz is going with this. That could be due to the fact that it looks like the book is slowly trying to shake off the reality show angle and move onto something more solid. If you really think about it, that Idolized branding can work on so many levels within a superhero comic. Story wise it’s good to see Leslie doing things on her own and not needing to run into a man’s arms to get over her feeling and emotions. I was scared that was going to happen in the training room with the Mr. Letterman jacket guy that likes to heal stuff. But it didn't, you go girl-- you don’t need a man, you pay your own bills. Ya heard?!
As for Micah Gunnell’s art, I could sit here and give you page numbers and panels of every time I thought Leslie looked more than adorable. But I won’t do that, instead I will say that it is very good and some of the best in the comic shops right now. There, now I sound less like a creeper (not really). You can also enjoy some recent one on one time that Mr. Gunnell shared with the Comic Bastards' family.
Idolized feels like it is digging in deep and getting ready to take off. When it does I’m pretty sure that it’s going to be something big. So jump on now, you won’t be disappointed.
Score: 3/5
Writer: David Schwartz Artist: Micah Gunnell Publisher: Aspen Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 09/26/12