Intro to Super!
Being an independent comic book company with a notable series is no easy feat. Super! is one of the few indie comics that I feel captures the fun of comic book superheroes. Created by Zack Dolan with help from his company Unlikely Heroes Studios, it’s an enjoyable series that pokes fun at and shows love for the genre. Everything from the quirky characters to the absurd situations make it memorable. But now Zack has passed away; from the way his coworkers talk about him, he was an inspiration and the one who keeps the team together.
UH Studios is still doing projects like Elsewhere, but now things will never be the same. I’m a writer who met with Zack a couple of times at the Lehigh Valley Comic Con; he was a really fun guy with a real love for the medium. I’m afraid that I have responsibilities of my own and won’t be able to attend his service. Instead, I will offer tribute to him and UH Studios through a eulogy in the form of a fanfic manuscript. If anyone wishes to add anything, feel free to reach out.
Super! Post-Event
Page 1
Furious Fire Ant’s helmet is in full focus.
Blood Death: Heroes! That is what we strive to be. In this world gone horribly wrong, we either stand alone or with allies.
Zooming out reveals the helmet serves as a door stop.
Blood Death: The role of a hero however changes by several factors.
Ant in his casual wear is looking through his phone at pictures of him and his teammate Blitz, in and out of their costumes.
Blood Death: Not least of which are those very allies.
Outside of Ant’s apartment is a supervillain rampaging.
Page 2
Blood Death: There however comes a time when hollowness claims a hero.
The villain is quickly caught by The People’s Champions lead by an Afro-Amazon.
Blood Death: Obsolescence, fatigue, wasted potential…
The Amazon chides her teammates with her whip!
Blood Death: And above all else, lack of investment.
Ant just stares at what transpires in his casual wear. His costume is in a corner covered in dust; his flask dangling near the window. A thunderstorm approaches.
Page 3
Blood Death holds a shotgun at the ready.
Blood Death: Some of us have the strength to keep moving…
The barrel points at a group of squirrels.
Blood Death: against all odds.
Some curvaceous women come into focus as Blood Death engages the squirrels in the background.
Blood Death: Others handle situations differently then before.
The Unquenchable Lush holds the women by the shoulders.
The Streak is awake in bed fully clothed with a man and looking at the ceiling.
Blood Death: Then there are those that question the decisions we make, and what that makes us as people.
Reflection
Page 4
Silhouette is viciously casting magic on some plague infested squirrels. Her ankh is pointing a direction away from her.
Blood Death: The hardest thing for people to do though is cope.
Silhouette continues her attack while she is wide open to squirrels attacking from above.
Blood Death: People have various ways of dealing with their issues.
The squirrels begin to rip at Silhouette’s costume as her ankh points more viciously away.
Blood Death: Some are best not dealt with alone.
A cross-like shuriken hits some of the squirrels. El Fantasmo springs into action by gathering the squirrels into one place. As the ankh still points, Silhouette changes it into a blade and strikes the area the squirrels are in.
Page 5
One squirrel tries to get away while bathed in a green light. Until it is hit by the shuriken.
Blood Death: Some help might not be ideal; but to accept no company is to display hollowness.
Silhouette berates El Fantasmo for killing the squirrel as thunder rumbles. The ankh is still pointing to Silhouette’s phone. The phone’s wallpaper is a picture of her police identity with Blitz (Paula) and Ant with a sign that says “We support our police”.
Page 6
Max Archer is sitting in the team’s meeting room, some documents are in front of him. A few of those documents have red words like Final Notice.
Blood Death: Juggling between lives is far from simple. When you think you know someone, you learn about things you are not ready to know.
Zooming out, the meeting room is damaged from what looks like a fight. Adventure Man Zero is undergoing repairs.
Blood Death: While everyone has something they want or need to hide; how can people work together if they don’t communicate?
Reaction
Page 7
Max looks at some of his unfinished plans for more positive publicity.
Blood Death: By that same degree, how can anyone understand another if they never get the chance to be seen?
An obituary for superheroes comes into focus with a funeral scheduled for a series of people.
Blood Death: Worse yet, the ones who sacrifice and struggle the most are ones who are forgotten.
A citizen’s obituary is in the hands of Adam (Black Atom) with Paula’s picture on it.
Blood Death: The worst thing for a hero though, is the burdens that come with the occupation.
Paula’s obituary reads: Cause of Death: Stroke.
Page 8
Lightning strikes throughout Cosmopolis.
Blood Death: The greatest thing a hero can do though is inspire.
Ant is with his girlfriend at a convenience store getting some supplies. A couple of robbers burst in with guns at the ready.
Blood Death: Even though tragedy is around every corner, so too is hope.
Ant’s girlfriend is ready to brandish Ant’s flamethrower. A thug cuts her off though and slams her to the wall. As lightning strikes, Ant uses the flamethrower to activate the store’s sprinkler system. With the thugs distracted, Ant and his girlfriend knock them out.
Super! Requiem
Page 9
Ant in full costume comes through the door of Max’s meeting room, to Max’s surprise.
Blood Death: One person’s end can be the beginning of something greater.
Ant shows Max a picture of Paula that changes into Blitz. Zero is given a jump start and reactivates. Ant and Archer then go out to visit the rest of the team. All the while foiling a squirrel controlling supervillain in a flash of lightning.
Page 10
The Paula/Blitz picture is surrounded by tea colored roses.
Blood Death: In remembrance to our fallen comrade, who believed not only in justice, but genuine altruism; let us honor her memory by fighting the battle of life.
A few members of the team clap.
Max: Originally I wanted to let you know that I wanted our team to be Blitzkrieg in Blitz’s honor.
Ant: But we can’t let Paula’s death be the thing that motivates us. We never needed a team name to know who we are. To the rest of the world, we’re nobodies who decided to play dress up. But that never stopped Blitz. Hell, she even decided to be a hero out of costume too. Let’s face it, none of us are special because of our powers, skills, and gear. We became heroes because we have something we believe in.
Page 11
Ant: Safe to say, we’ll always be the people who don’t get a lot of notice. For the people who do notice, we get the only thing we need from them: gratitude, sympathy, and empathy. They believe in us and still want to stay close even though we’re not perfect. We’re this light that shines in the dark that people, including us, don’t know they need.
Super! Legacy
Page 12
Max comes up to the side.
Max: On that note, I’ve decided to expand our roster with more auxiliary members. But only once everyone here comes to an understanding with these potential recruits. We can’t look for another Blitz, she was one of a kind. But we can include people from all parts of life who want to be heroes.
Back on the table.
Streak: I don’t mind meeting some new people. I might know someone who would want to join too.
Silhouette puts her hand on her face.
Silhouette: Just as long as they’re not more assholes; this team’s got enough of them.
The team breaks out in laughter.
Page 13
With the storm still going on, a mad scientist is pummeled. Standing over him is Black Atom in a new costume inspired by Blitz. Black Atom dials his team.
Black Atom: It’s me, I’ve got some new equipment.
Super! Fanfic Annotations
So yeah this is gonna be controversial to some people. Blitz is easily my favorite character in Super! I also thought her death would be the most fitting in regards to UH Studios. Paula I feel is Zack’s main viewpoint, especially with the angle they are going in her dynamic with Fire-Ant. I mean they are based on Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. By all accounts, Blitz is the heart and soul of the team. Much like Zack, with her gone the team will have to push on without her but still try.
Her death however isn’t the team’s motivation; this isn’t a fridging moment! Although it might be for Black Atom. To be fair, I did take some creative liberties since there are only seven issues. But I’m so invested in these characters and their world I can’t help but wonder. Maybe some people will grow to love these characters too.
If anything, this story is about UH Studios going forward despite the hardships they face. It’s going to be a battle of both discipline and honoring the memory of a friend. Zack may be gone, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Super! or UH Studios. It just has to adapt to this new development.
If you would like to help, visit Unlikely Heroes Studios website, follow them on social media or become a Patron. Thanks for coming and as always, remember to look between the panels.