Booknote: Super Sikh, Issue 1.

Eileen Kaur Alden, et.al., Super Sikh, Issue 1: Takeoff and Landing. Chicago, IL: Rosarium Publishing, 2017. ISBN: 9781495627002. 

Genre: comics and graphic novels
Subgenre: secret agents, ethnic groups, religious people, Sikh, adventure
Format: e-book galley
Source: NetGalley

This is a short review for a single issue comic. The comic book was offered in NetGalley, and it sounded interesting enough for me to request it. Deep Singh is devout Sikh. He is also a super secret agent for the United Nations who spends many of  his days fighting terrorists like the Taliban. Since he also has to keep a normal life, he has a "regular" job at a tech company. He also has parents that care for him and worry for him like any other normal young man. He also happens to be a big fan of Elvis Presley. So far, so good. He is a hard working man, and finally his family talks him into taking a vacation. He decides to travel to the U.S. to see the home of his idol: Graceland. On the flight, a terrorist attack occurs. Though he saves the day, he has the misfortune of having to deal with U.S. Homeland Security, which promptly sees his turban and arrests him as a terrorist, with all the degradation and condescension Americans typically show any foreigner they think is an "Arab terrorist."

The comic book is a great start to a series, and I do hope the series continues. We get a different kind of superhero, one who is not just another Western guy. He is basically a Sikh Bond kind of figure. He is skilled, smart, strong, but he is also very human. He has no superpowers other his wits and skills. I am also hoping that the comic explores more of the Sikh religion; we can certainly use some more diversity in comics, and this comic shows good potential. The story was fast paced, and very entertaining with a good blend of action and humor. We'll see where the authors take it, but so far, I definitely recommend this one.

Note: turns out the series has continued. As of this post, they are up to issue 3. Here is the comic's website for details.

5 out of 5 stars.

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This book qualifies for the following 2017 Reading Challenges: