Life and Times of Savior 28 (

The Life and Times of Savior 28 is a great story that tries to analyze whether violence is the answer to our problems. Comic book superheroes always solve problems with violence and our world also solves problems with violence. We often think that war is necessary (Obama even mentioned this while receiving the Nobel Peace prize), but why do we have to think this? I think the comic does a very good job of making the reader argue this in his head, while also reading a very good story on paper and illustrated magnificently by the artist. My favorite line in the book, comes close to the start, it is as follows: "It's funny, y'know? and kind of Sad. Never once...in all the decades I spent solving every problem with my fists- did anyone ever accuse me of preaching violence. But now...when I talk about finding another way...a better way...for us to live... ...they're always accusing me of ramming my views down people's throats..." I think this speech is at the heart of what the book is about. But before this sounds too preachy, I must add that there is another very good character in the book that exemplifies realism, a character that believes that war is sometimes necessary. The book has two great characters Savior 28, the idealist and Dennis the realist (reminds me of Quixote and Sancho Panza). The story makes one think. With respect to the art, I think the art was very good. Sometimes the art is able to tell the story without words and when many words are necessary the art is able to give a great picture that reflects the idea behind the words. I highly recommend this book.

I completely missed this book when it was being serialized, which shocks me because I'll read just about anything J.M. DeMatteis writes. This one doesn't disappoint. "Savior 28" is somewhere between DeMatteis' "traditional" super-hero comics and his deeply personal vision-quest graphic novels. It's a story about a super-hero, sure, but it's really a comment on modern society, and it wears its politics and philosophies on its sleeve. Perhaps that's its only weakness, that it's not even remotely subtle. But even with a sledgehammer, DeMatties still tells a story with a brain-surgeon's skill, and this one is a worthy addition to his long line of powerful and unforgettable stories.