The Deadbeat

by Jeremy Massie

The Deadbeat was one of the world's greatest heroes. He used to be able to save the day, the city, and everything else in between. But when his estranged daughter comes back into his life, will he be able to save their broken relationship? Jeremy Massie crafts an emotional tale about a down-on-his-luck former superhero coming face to face with the daughter he barely ever knew.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics

114 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2009

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple but engaging story about regrets and the choices we make all through the prism of superheroes.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on the superhero theme. A dark, depressing tale that ends on a sad note. An old superhero is a Deadbeat Dad because he never came to his daughter's rescue when the aunt looking after her made a plea. Instead, he assumed she was dead and lived an alcoholic life giving up his superhero job. As a young woman, she comes to find him, has inherited his superpowers, and is angry. Eventually, we find out that sometimes it is too late to change your life and make up for the past. The art is good, especially the facial expressions.

[TJ Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

So a "Superman" type of character loses his wife in a battle with an arch-enemy and decides he cannot raise his newborn daughter on his own. His decision to leave her with the baby's aunt comes back to face him years later as his daughter tracks him down. Is it the re-emergence of the world's foremost super hero with a new sidekick or is this the beginning of something more sinister? Interesting read!

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a kind of sweet story about a Superman analogue who finds out his daughter isn't actually dead when she comes back into his life, or what few fragments he has left. The two try to resolve their history and make plans going forward. The story is fairly simple, and simply presented, but that enhances the impact of the story itself. There are a few twists and turns, but ultimately it's a story of a man and his daughter try to reconnect.