Many people have fantasized about being a superhero at least once in their lives. What these people don’t quite understand is that there is a possibility that they may be the only normal person in a world full of superheroes and hate it. “The Citizen†is how comic writer Charlie McFarland envisions this world to be with artist  Aleksandar Jovic.
Norman has idolized Superman ever since he was a kid. The reason is that he’s one superhero protecting thousands of regular people. The sad reality is, Norman lives in a city where there are thousands of superheroes and few regular people which Norman is. This reality annoys Norman more than anything and it keeps annoying him daily.
This is the type of plot that can quickly go sour. McFarland manages to avoid these pratfalls by slowly introducing the reader to Norman, three superheroes who are friends of Norman and basic villains that are nothing more than bargain bin thieves. The first annoyance is also not that out there (he gets mugged daily and expects at least one superhero to come and save him.)Â Â Â Â Â
Jovic does a fine job of making this comic look like the typical superhero comic with everyone ripping off their clothes to reveal a superhero outfit underneath and even have them be super colorful. The best parts of the art are Norman’s facial expressions when he’s annoyed. They perfectly encapsulate his feelings at that moment even though he keeps his temper under control.
The first issue of “The Citizen†manages to create an interesting story and world with some nice art. However, there is a possibility that this comic can take the usual way of making Norman a superhero and thus ruining the story. At this point it doesn’t seem like that will happen and we’ll just have a normal person trying his to live in a world where he’s surrounded by superheroes and the idea of being a victim of a crime will feel like getting a mosquito bite.
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