Spandex is a comic that follows the adventures of a gay superhero group. There are seven of them; one for each colour of the rainbow.
The digital home for the series is the Spandex blog and author-illustrator has been penning the series for years. Before Spandex, Eden wrote the superhero series The O Men. It was The O Men who first introduced Liberty, Diva and Glitter.
In May Titan Books will be publishing the hardback Spandex: Fast and Hard. The graphic novel includes “Attack of the 50 Ft. Lesbian” as chapter one, “Pink Ninjas” as chapter two, “… If You Were the Last Person on Earth” as chapter three and then into a set of specials for Martin Eden.
Towards the back of the book you will find a note from Martin Eden. He takes the time to read between the lines for us – Spandex is about the pressures of day to day life and how they can get to you. That’s worth keeping in mind because the stories featured in Spandex: Fast and Hard put the lives and loves of the LGBT team front and centre. If you’re a sexually repressed superhero fan then it’s doubtful Spandex is for you (or it might just be the eye-opener you needed!)
This reviewer had no previous knowledge of Spandex before picking up Fast and Hard. It’s an easy book to read. There’s always the promise of action – one type or another – over the page. The superhero archetypes and plot offerings are there to guide us through the book.
I got the sense that Fast and Hard is a hugely truncated offering. There seems to be more to the Spandex mythology than the book touches on. That mythology was notable through its absence and I felt the graphic novel serves best as a summary rather than an introduction or a highlight or a deep dive on any one aspect to the heroes.
As you would expect for a comic book with heroes for each colour of the rainbow – this is a full colour affair.
The graphic novel goes on sale later this year.
Disclaimer: My copy of Spandex: Fast and Hard was provided for the purposes of reviewing.
