“With great responsibility comes great pressure.” No wonder the heroes of Rapid City #2 and #4 spend more time relaxing and socializing then fighting crime and saving the world. At the end of #2, Kinetic, one of the heroes, via his narration, delivers a long complaint about how in order to truly become a superhero he needs to set aside all distractions and delays, and anything that would hold him back, and just do it. “No more excuses. No more distractions.” It’s finally time to be a hero. About time.
So it may have taken three issues of building up, but by #4 Rapid City finally kicks into full superhero mode. Well, sort of. After painfully telling his girlfriend that they need to spend some time apart do that he can focus on being a superhero, Kinetic breaks up traffic arguments, and scales buildings, before returning to the usual “I can be a superhero, I just need time” conundrum.
Something that does have to be admired about Rapid City is the way that it takes the conventional element and turns it on its head. A superhero who lacks the confidence to truly be a superhero? That may have been a common element in comics in the past, with Spider-Man being a classic example, but now it’s rare to stumble upon this kind of dilemma. As an unassuming cop asks Kinetic what he’s up to, he gives uncertainly replies “I’m a superhero”, only for the cop to tell him to make sure that he knows what he’s doing. How can superheroes save us if they appear to be unable to look after themselves?
Kinetic is an interesting character because he represents the part of all of us that wants to make a difference, that wants to stand out from the crowd and do incredible things. And let’s face it. How many of us have dreamed of being superheroes? It would seem that there’s a bit of each and every single one of us in Kinetic. Or, more accurately, he represents the writer, Josh Dahl.
Both issues contain a fun page at the end where Dahl talks about the planning of the look and text of the pages, giving an insight into his intentions when making the series. This is a superhero series with a difference. Rapid City appears to be more about one individual’s journey then an action packed superhero adventure. And while that may turn off the casual market, those looking for something a bit deeper are in luck.