Described as "pure action with a little bit of social commentary", the series aims to give teenage comic book fans a reality-based storyline with all the super heroes and so-called villains of more traditional comic story arcs.

"Here we are in Canada with a real live Gotham City happening right in front of us. The message is that there are many factors that come into drug use and abuse," said Ireland, a Metis writer who moved to Vancouver from Regina a few years ago.

"It's not just cut and dried that the drug dealers in our story are the enemies - a lot of them are victims of socio-economic factors. The dealers, the city and the system - they're all flawed, and sometimes the heroes have to get their hands a little dirty to do something good."

So although the language is harsh and the drawings hold back nothing about reality on the streets, "there's a positive message buried in there. Talking about the harsh realities in which we live is educational," Leeson said.