Review: 'Supurbia' gets 'real' for a group of super spouses

It seems like just about all I’ve written about Boom! Studios has been covering its kid line, but they do have comics for grown-ups, too, and a fun new one starts today.

That would be “Supurbia,” which the company is pitching as a sort of “Real Housewives” of the super community. It’s about the spouses of a super team called the Meta Legion, so there’s a bit of “Army Wives” thrown in there, too.

It’s hard to judge an entire series on its first issue, of course, but it’s nice to see a debut that hits the mark well. Grace Randolph’s story has a nice flow to it as we’re introduced to the various main characters, from the wife of the group’s version of Superman, Sovereign, to the husband of their Wonder Woman stand-in, Batu.

We’re given just enough information to start picking our favorites, much like the first episode of “Real World” when everyone’s getting acquainted and you start to see the personalities emerge.

Helen Heart, "Mrs. Sovereign" (Boom! Studios)

But it wouldn’t be “reality” without melodrama. Sovereign’s wife, Helen Heart, is a supposedly reformed ex-con. Alexis Fritsche catches her husband, Night Fox, in a compromising position. And then there’s the fangirl newbie Eve White, just married to the team’s new member, Bulldog.

In fact, we’re introduced to everyone as they spend the day leading up to Bulldog’s welcoming party at the home of the group’s sick elder statesman, Marine Omega, and his wife, Ruth Smith.

The familiar superhero archetypes are present, but it’s nice to see how Randolph starts to tweak them here and there to make them her own.

The art by Russell Dauterman follows the modern model of busty women in really tight clothes. But at least their rear ends aren’t constantly thrust out, and a couple of the guys show some skin, too, for a bit of equal opportunity. He does a good job with facial expressions.

So what can we expect from writer Randolph and artist Dauterman? Who knows, but my interest is definitely piqued.