Über by Kieron Gillen

 

Über by Kieron Gillen

After reviewing The Power Fantasy, someone recommended Über to me. I read the first arc (under this title) and while there are things there I find really interesting, I don't think I'll go further. To say Über is unsubtle would be an understatement. The starting point of this superpowered uchronia is that the nazis had an "übermensch" program that only delivers as Berlin is being taken over by the Russians. Nazi Germany manages to stay off the Russian army thanks to these supermen, but espionage means the research filters out to Britain and the US, and in parallel the nazis share some of it with the Japanese. As a consequence, the war lingers on, with a new race to arms in the superpower field. Gillen's series is heavily documented, and it shows, but unfortunately, the characters are really caricatures and it makes it hard for me to take the story in. To add to that, the art style is crude and garish, making most characters indistinguishable at first glance. Long story short, I read this first run, but I'm not sure I'll keep pushing, especially knowing the second (and final) arc is unfinished. That said, if you're thinking of running Dennis Detwiller and Greg Stolze's excellent 2001 RPG Godlike, this is required reading.