Spandex: Fast and Hard

Titan Books

Written and drawn by Martin Eden

Jun 25, 2012 Web Exclusive By J. Nisen

One of the better things about Martin Eden’s Spandex: Fast and Hard is that it indulges in its conceit of being an all-gay superteam without that conceit ever becoming burdensome, which I would think is one of the main pitfalls of such. I can’t pretend that Spandex doesn’t beat the near-dead horse over the head with concepts derived from gay culture—i.e., each member representing a color of the rainbow flag; a lesbian character actually named “Butch”; pink ninjas; a story titled “Attack of the 50 ft. Lesbian”—but it’s done in an oddly cheerful and refreshing manner on balance. Even when the book gets a little serious, it maintains a certain humor or spirit that’s compelling. Perhaps it’s the presence of certain silliness that allows some poignancy at times.

The cartooning is fine; it’s a creator bringing his own sensibilities to paper with what he’s got. It’s serviceable if not necessarily accomplished in terms of draftsmanship, but the sequential storytelling chops compensate.

This infusion of gay culture into more or less standard superhero tropes ultimately creates an original property that should prove an enjoyable read for fans looking for something a little different. (http://titanbooks.com/spandex-fast-and-hard-6156/)

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