the s.h.o.p.

the s.h.o.p., the super-heroes of Philadelphia, is a graphic novel created, written, and drawn by David Yurkovich that was released by Sleeping Giant Comics in 2000. It's 48 pages long and retails at 4.95 USD where you can find still find it.

the s.h.o.p. is a dark, yet sometimes comical, view of the superhero genre. It continues from David Yurkovich's Threshold series. Threshold is the main superhero team of Philadelphia, backed by the city. However, when a battle with a villain known as The Tourist leaves a child dead, the city abandons them. That's when Lychester, the head of the corporation-like Establishment, comes in. The Establishment specialized in creating superhero teams for cities. They contracted out superheroes, and Lychester was offering the ex-Threshold members a part in the new Philadelphia team, the s.h.o.p.

All of the members were uneasy about this deal, including the two new members: The Librarian and The Atomic Pile. However, only the magician Cosmopolitan went through with his feelings. Lychester seemed to be planning something... but what?

the s.h.o.p. is also backed by a small four page introducing the convenience store clerk turned superhero, 24-7.

the s.h.o.p. is a cheap, independent, and quite enjoyable comic. If you ever see this one somewhere, pick it up. It's quite simple, but its own small pokes at the superhero genre can be interesting. It is completly in black and white, and mainly uses a four by two page format.