By Will Barber – Taylor

Somewhere in suburban L.A., a freak cosmic event suddenly enables nine-year-old Lakers nut, Roger Beaman to have the ability to fly… but only for about a foot and a half off the ground.

In the old days when those things happened the newly empowered could slink off to arctic fortresses, bat caves or newsroom closets and be “heroic” when and how they chose, or not at all – well not anymore! On his maiden flight, Roger is stopped by authorities, removed from his home and forced to play side-kick to an actual super-hero who really doesn’t seem to want him around. Can things get any worse? Oh yes. Oh yes they can.

Following on from the conclusion of the second issue, issue three opens with Magnanimo attempting to get Roger back to normal size after he discovered his shrinking power. We get some background on Magnanimo via a news report which explains that his previous sidekick vanished after being kicked by Magnanimo for “being an evil backstabber”. CBS then arrives to interview Magnanimo about the recent incidents that happened in issues one and two which has hilarious consequences.

Issue Three of The Actual Roger manages to continue the storyline with style by not only referencing this previous story but also subtly managing to slip in backstory for Magnanimo. This is done via a great scene in which Magnanimo listens to a TV report about himself while trying to get Roger back to normal. Instead of going for an all-out flashback, the TV report manages to convey details which are relevant to the story without forcing them down the audience’s throat unnecessarily. It also demonstrates a clever use of perspective with the TV flow following the dialogue and at certain points playing over Magnanimo’s work.

The introduction of an evil former sidekick is also a nice parody of The Winter Soldier and characters of his type when they turn on the hero they are meant to be working with and become villains.

The Actual Roger Issue Three is another splendid addition to the collection of issues that have gone before it. It flows nicely, the artwork is great and the comedy manages to raise a good few laughs throughout. I look forward to the next issue.