Polarity. Volume one /

Unlikely hero gets unexpected super­powers, fights for justice, defeats the baddie, and gets the girl typical superhero plot, sure. But Tim Woods' powers come from his bipolar-disorder meds, and his fight for justice takes the form of a viciously satisfying takedown of Brooklyn hipster culture. Once Tim catches on that his manic episodes cause more than just public nudity and paranoia, he starts small outing the hypocrisy of the hipster elite at a loft party and moves up to the big leagues: defeating the crackpot psychiatrist who has been manipulating his patients to create an army of weaponized psychotics. Bemis' tongue-in-cheek dialogue is insouciantly self-aware I'm the guy reluctantly making it safe to be a douchey indie rocker in a gentrified former ghetto, you big ugly mammoth but Coelho's gorgeous full-color art saves it from being a mere joke by bringing vivid life to Tim's mania and adding a much-needed touch of pathos in delicately rendered facial expressions. Though the plot is nothing new, the hipster-bashing trappings and entrancing art certainly make up for it.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist

Writer Bemis, founder and lead singer/songwriter of the band Say Anything, is bipolar and a comics lover. In this three-way satire of hipsterdom, superheroes, and mental health medicine, Tim Woods is a bipolar artist being treated by Dr. Mays. Problem is, under treatment he makes boring art. But while manic, Tim feels that he has artistic superpowers. And, as he learns, he really does! Dr. Mays is not what he seems either and not in a good way. If the ending seems standard-Tim masters his problems, decks his therapist, and gets the girl-the trip is decidedly original. Artist Coelho delivers Tim's adventures and altered states with just the right synthesis of arty psychedelia and goofy realism. Minipanels of text and art float over whirlpools of detritus, mirror images change color, and an enemy's head explodes into a beautifully composed sunburst of tissue. However, Tim's crush Lily seems underdeveloped as a character. Verdict Similar to Joe the Barbarian, the Daniel Boom books, and Level Up, this lively adult sf tale makes an apparent problem into an advantage. Gen Y's, especially fans of twisted superhero stories, should find it hilarious, if perhaps uncomfortably critical.-Martha Cornog, Philadelphia (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.