Return of the Super Pimps #3

By Jason Mott
September 5, 2007 - 18:37

With the third installment in the burgeoning series “Return of the Super Pimps” we get another dose of smooth strutting and fancy (and beautifully tacky) wardrobes. The Super Pimps initial story arc is the classic, tried and true “resurrection of the heroes” storyline. The basic summation is that a long, long time ago on an alternate earth far, far away there were a group of civic-minded heroes called the Super Pimps who protected “the Hood” from the evil Darquefire. Now, years later, the pimps are pulled from retirement as their old nemesis returns. Essentially, this sums up all three issues of the Super Pimps so far. Which isn’t to say that this is necessarily a bad thing. But it is to say that, thus far, Return of the Super Pimps isn’t really attempting to do anything new with the superhero genre. This is good old superhero action made over with a sequined wardrobe and soundtrack supplied by Rick James, Parliament, and Curtis Mayfield. Fair enough.

Hamilton’s overall performance in this series has been pretty smooth and stable. He’s definitely got a very well-defined idea of the world he wants to create with this series and that’s a bonus for any writer. As I’ve said before, the largest obstacle in Hamilton’s path is the connotations of the word “pimp.” While we can all sit around and laugh at the awkwardness of the costumes, funky slang and catchphrases of the “Hollywood pimp.” The reality of this “profession” is anything but entertaining. But Hamilton has a vision and a dogged persistence here that, after three issues, is finally beginning to win me over. While there are still a few inconsistencies in his “worldbuilding” (like how the leader of the Super Pimps is just fine with being called a pimp but gets fighting mad over even the potential use of the N-word) I’m willing to give Hamilton the benefit of the doubt for now and stick around for a few more issues. However, he will have to get a better grasp on Darquefire’s diction. Lots of inconsistencies in the language of his melodramatic speeches.

On pencils, Carpintero gets mixed reviews. While his relatively minimalist styles can prove dramatic and exciting at times, so much of this issue was lacking in background scenery that it began to feel like Carpintero may have been pressed by deadlines and forced to phone things in a little bit. Too many panels involve characters standing in colorful voids where nothing is happening (or even existing!) in the space behind them. This is a missed opportunity for any artist. Every panel of a medium such as comic books is a chance for the artist to ply his trade at visual storytelling and enrich his reader’s experience by giving them a deep, thorough journey. In essence, it’s the difference between sitting down to a full, seven course meal or grabbing a value meal from McDonald’s on the way home. While I would never insult Carpintero by saying that he’s a visual Happy Meal, I will say that, right now, he’s not approaching full-course meal status either. He’s somewhere in that broad, un-extraordinary middle and, frankly, I think he’s got it in him to break away from that and really give his readers their money’s worth. The question is, will he?

Overall: 3 out of 5. Not groundbreaking, but not bad and slowly getting better.

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51

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