The promotion of negative stereotypes is a serious problem that has consumed America since before the last century. These harmful labels as it pertains to race, class and sexuality have created an atmosphere of fear around the country. Within the last few years, the fearmongering only has intensified and these groups of people who have been marginalized, and at times, targeted, face a life where they are constantly having to prove their fidelity. This leads to me who gets to choose what a hero looks like.

The world is full of a varied palette of colors which are rarely used. Most of the heroes of the Golden Age and the Silver Age, were shared the common shade of their melanin, as if the rest of the world did not exit, or only existed as background. I t was not until Black Panther and came in to the comics mainstream, and a slow trickle of heroes possessing darker hue, start to appear, leading to today’s climate, which is better than year before, but far from depicting the reality of the world. Th guys at Splitmoon Arts, realized this deficiency in their upbringing, and created Buraaq, a Muslim-American “Superman,” who is more than your typical superhero.

In the opening pages, the reader finds a utopia, called Nova City, which just so happens to be the cultural and financial center of the world, which is due to their heavily diverse immigrant population. As of recent, the city has been hit by a crime wave, which includes hate crimes. This is where we find a Muslim couple being harassed by some neo-Nazis , until our hero , Buraaq, let these goons know, that “God’s justice knows no race or color.” By issue’s end, he saves the couple and let the authorities arrest the perpetrators.

Overall, an interesting but short lived first issue, which contextualizes environment but doesn’t tells us anything about the main character. The story by the Imtiaz Brothers  is smart and attacks xenophobia head on. The art by the Imtiaz Brothers is gorgeous. Altogether, a debut issue that falls short, but hoping the second issue connects the dots.

Story: Adil and Kamil Imtiaz Art: Adil and Kamil Imtiaz
Story: 7 Art: 8.3 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Read