Written By Matt Kindt
Art by Matt Kindt
While spies have been a staple in comics from the days of Nick fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., a serious treatment of them hasn’t been done very often. With Super Spy, Matt Kindt gives us serious spy fiction set in the backdrop of World War II.
The Book
Super Spy is a compilation of various spy stories set in World War 2. While each short story is independent of the others, they weave together to create one encompassing narrative. Characters show up and leave in each of the vignettes. Interestingly enough, readers are given of reading the graphic novel as the writer intended, from cover to cover, or to read each chapter or Dossier in the chronological order of the story.
The narrative form is brilliant in Kindt’s graphic novel. I love how everything has a purpose and connection to everything else. For a good comparison think Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. The non-linear plot fits the idea of spying and how it forces people to change their lives and live in secret. However, Kindt seems to hint that the life of a spy is a spiral that goes from chaos to order and back again. The reader gets a chance to see the underside of spying, not just the sugar coated Hollywood or stereotypical comic version.
With Super Spy Matt Kindt presents a serious work of graphic fiction, while still holding true to the pacing that makes comics so fun to the reader. Character development is done with subtle hints that speak volumes about the various spies in the novel. This graphic novel forces the reader to pay attention and be wary of every corner, just like a good spy should.
9/10
The Artwork
If you are a fan of lavish artwork, this book is not for you. However, the artwork fits the story. Characters are drawn and shaded simply, but with a second glance show great differences. The color on the book is muted brown, like an aging pulp novel of the 1930s. A high point of the art in this book is the fact that each short story has a slightly different art style. You can tell Kindt did the artwork, but small differences keep each story to itself.
While I like the art in this book, the simple style does make character identification difficult. I found myself going back and forth to figure out which characters were featured in each story. This is a minor complaint though. The style and overall presentation of the book almost make up for it.
7/10
Overall ( Not an Average) 8.5/10
The Review
The Story 9/10
The Artwork 7/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8.5/10