SUPER SIKH #1 - Eileen Kaur Alden & Supreet Singh Manchanda

Requested this soon as I saw it on NetGalley, stoked about the idea - especially in the climate of intolerance festering in the U.S. today - of a Sikh secret agent.  Upon starting the short (26 pages) first issue of the very well-made comic (Amit Tayal's artwork is crisp and sleek; it's a beautiful book), it was easy to immediately like Deep Singh; he busts his butt fighting for the little guy, is obsessed with Elvis, has made enemies in the Taliban, and still has a mom and dad who take care of/dote on him when he comes home exhausted and sore after a successful mission.  Issue One is barely an introduction to the character, with little plotline as Deep gets approval for a much-needed vacation (to Graceland, no less!) ... but ends up on a flight that - surprise! - also ends up being highjacked by terrorists mid-air.  From here the comic lost me a bit, taking the much-lauded opportunity to become a sounding board for exactly how vocal the bigots in this country have become (Singh ends up saving the day, but by passengers and crew alike is presumed to be one of the terrorists - even though they're Mexican).  It's a message I am in total agreement with, I myself have never been more ashamed to be an American than I have been since January, but stereotypes are distasteful to me across the board - and while I agreed with the comic's message, I wasn't too comfortable with every white character on the plane, and in any form of airline or law enforcement that Singh comes across afterward, coming across as some brain-dead trailer-trash rube who automatically sees dark skin and a turban and cries terrorist.  Still a good enough book to warrant a look at number two; hopefully there will just be some good white people in that one.  3/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.