Very broadly speaking, the work that we tag for our socially relevant Broken Frontier comics resource lists falls into two camps. There’s the graphic memoir or biography side bringing personal lived experiences, or depictions of them, to the page with a candid realism. And then there’s the genre fiction stories that embed these themes within their narratives, communicating them via a sometimes more allegorical method of delivery. Hamish Steele’s Go-Man! fits into that second category; a super-hero-style tale with a manga aesthetic that explores autistic experiences through its young lead Tobi.
Subtitled Champion of Earth this first volume of Go-Man! introduces us to its likeable protagonist, drops us into the middle of his fantastical world, and establishes the premise for a series of adventures going forwards. Tobi, our hero, is a lonely autistic kid living in a city constantly plagued by giant kaiju-like creatures. Combatting this are the city’s defence team the Robug Squad, who include Tobi’s father among them. When Tobi himself gains the super-power to turn into the giant Go-Man he joins the battle against the urban invaders despite the Robug Squad’s suspicions about him. But how can Tobi keep up his double life when using his powers exhausts him for days after every time…?
Steele populates the book with a likeable and endearing cast. Not simply Tobi himself but his schoolfriend Grace who documents his heroics on social media and Okidoki, his robot monkey sidekick. This first volume sets up plot points about Tobi’s family, the origins of the monsters, and gives the audience a suitably malevolent central villain to boo. It’s an appealing set-up for what’s to come but its central strength is the symbolic way it depicts aspects of Tobi’s autism – with his energy-sapping state after using the Go-Man powers mirroring the way that masking behaviour can exhaust those with autism.
Steele’s cartooning is often hyper-energetic, deftly switching between big, bold action sequences and quieter character moments. But Go-Man! is a book that obviously has deeper layers to it than just its super-heroic overtones. It’s a story that will give some young readers a hero of their own to identify with whose interactions with the world echo their own. And for others it will provide a window into the experiences of their autistic friends. That it’s also a cracking good adventure story almost seems like a bonus in the circumstances. Get this one into your school and public libraries immediately.
Hamish Steele (W/A) • Union Square, £13.99
Buy online from Gosh! Comics here
Review by Andy Oliver
