Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Writer: Eric Kripke
Artist: John Higgins
Colourist: John Higgins
Editor: Ellie Pyle
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $3.99

DC/Vertigo’s new series Jacked explores what happens whan a schmuck gets superpowers. So, in Jacked #1, part victim, part loser Josh, who looks suspiciously like Harvey Pekar, is approaching middle age, is without a job or prospects and is sliding into depression. His wife doesn’t look at him even during sex.

Being desperate Josh decides to try a new supplement ‘Jacked’, which promises to turn things around. At first the effects are like a drug trip. “It comes in waves, like the acid I used to drop at Phish concerts.” But after witnessing a horrific auto accident he suddenly gains courage and super strength. “Oh my God—my back feels terrific.”

In Jacked #1 it’s perfect for Josh, who as a child wanted to be a superhero but knows it’s just fantasy. “In the real world Superman falls off a horse and ends up in a wheelchair,” he says. But the drug may be addictive and power corrupts, setting the stage for future conflict.

Eric Kripke’s story is tight and over too quickly, which is praise for any comic book, where economy of narrative is a positive. Josh’s observations about his life are both funny and sad at the same time. The narrative is deeper than it appears. John Higgins’s art and colouring fit the mood of Jacked #1: things are messy, hairy and loose, just like real life. Higgins hallucination panels are worth lingering over.

In Jacked #1Josh may not be able to hit a baseball, but Jacked is at least a double and no there’s doubt future issues will also score.

Reviewer: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker