Review: Government-Sanctioned Superheroes by Chad Descoteaux

In my previous review of Working-Class Superheroes, I said that there was potential in the sequel to carve out its identity. I believe it succeeded. There are still a few DC references, but there more from Marvel this time around and even a few from Power Rangers. 

Can I say the logic is perfect? No, but it doesn’t need to be, just like the first book. This story shows that this series is more for fun and satire and is enjoyable on that front. While it does occasionally lean into some more contemplative topics, it doesn’t go deep enough to fully unravel the tropes we see in superhero stories. That being said, there were a couple of surprises from some old characters and I thought those were nicely done.

In terms of objectionable content, there was one I didn’t care for and that was Zeke’s mom cheating on her husband. While it was resolved by the end, it didn’t have any of the consequences that were hinted at and treated the affair as okay by all characters who were aware of it. There is also a sex scene with another couple, but it’s not romantically detailed, more an explanation for why a character could get away with something, and it’s a setup for another joke that I didn’t get until I started writing this review.

The last thing that I guess I should mention is there is a lot of usage of c*****r, which I was told is the White equivalent of the n****r though I never knew of any Whites to take offense at it. However, if it does offend you, then beware.

If you listened to the epilogue from Working Class Superheroes, you will notice that it was the start of this book. However, there is extra content in this book’s version of that so I would advise to maybe skip the parts you are already aware of, but not the entire first chapter.

The result? I enjoyed it despite some content objections. I probably wouldn’t let my children read until their late teens, but I personally would like to complete the trilogy. I think this was a step up in terms of storytelling and identity and shows more potential for the series.