Buzzkill is probably every ultra-conservative parent’s nightmare. The main character is a superhero who gains his phenomenal powers through the consumption of massive amounts of alcohol. Will the impressionable youth of America read this comic and think that binge drinking is cool?

Well, no. First of all, because this isn’t a kids’ comic. It’s for more mature audiences, not just in terms of content, but in terms of depth and complexity. Second of all, it doesn’t actually glamorize binge drinking at all. Quite the opposite.

As the story opens, our hero, whose name is not Ruben (though that’s the fake name he gives, and the only one we know him by) is at an AA meeting. His life is obviously a complete train wreck, he looks awful, and he’s evidently alienated the woman he loves. Still, even though he’s at the meeting, he’s in denial about whether or not he has a problem. And, who can blame him? After all, he’s different from the others there. Drinking’s not a weakness with him, it’s a quite literally a strength. It makes him into a hero who can save the world—or at least punch it really hard. How could anyone give that up?

This first issue is a great introduction to what promises to be a pretty good story. It juxtaposes his current life at the beginning of the road to recovery with flashbacks to his early days, first discovering his powers, as well as some vague allusions to a more recent catastrophe. There are some promising characters and cool concepts that will hopefully be developed further in issues to come.

But, it’s not just a cool superhero story. It’s also a glimpse at the world of addiction, from the incredible high that comes at the beginning to the absolute rock bottom. It’s this underlying imagery that gives the story its depth and complexity and makes this comic for truly mature audiences.

The concept is definitely unique, and the story that’s set up is compelling and full of promise. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.