The black-and-white morality of superheroes is turned on its head in this ode to the modern action/comic book genre mixed with the dark humor of a gumshoe noir.
Introducing the world to crime-fighter The Fantastic Phenomenon (the hero) and his arch nemesis Supernova (the villain), a detective searches for the killer of superhero super-fans while trying to understand his own oddly formal relationship to The Fantastic Phenomenon.
Discovering that The Fantastic Phenomenon is having an emotional breakdown, the detective tries to be a shoulder for him to lean on in hopes of getting the hero back on track toward capturing Supernova. Supernova begins to harass the detective, phoning him on The Fantastic Phenomenon's super-secret "yellow telephone" and asking the detective about life's inner workings and the spiritual and physical connections between heroes, villains and those caught between both.
Frustrated, the detective seeks advice from his partner and finds himself coming face-to-face with the dangerous Supernova. After being drugged by Supernova, the detective reveals some guarded truths about his relationship with The Fantastic Phenomenon, which leads the detective into hot water with his partner and further bloody murders.
The detective's world quickly begins to unravel as he begins to question his own belief in law and justice and starts to peel back the good-versus-evil veneer, exposing the realities of life and death and the ultimate consequences of trusting those who tell us to "keep the faith."
REVIEWS:
"Imagine if Woody Allen had written The Incredibles -- that's the DPHV banter."
ChicagoNow
"The sort of potboiler Kierkegaard might have penned if he were really into comic books."
Chicago Reader