H-E-R-O: Powers & Abilities - Will Pfeifer & Kano
The concept of "H-E-R-O" was based on a 1965 comic "Dial 'H' for Hero." There's this mysterious device with the letters "H-E-R-O" on it, and when the letters are pushed in that order, it changes the person into some random superhero. This book is a collection of the first six issues, during which time the device passes through the hands of an ice cream vendor, a businessman, and a teenage girl.
The device itself doesn't really get any backstory—presumably it's been passed along for a while—and the superheroes don't really get much time or space, either. The comic is more about the consequences of having such powers, asking the question: "What would you do if you had super-powers?" It doesn't assume that everyone would automatically become a hero or a villain, and looks at the lives of people in their non-hero state.
The dialogue is a bit heavy-handed (particularly in the first story arc) but the concept is a good one. I particularly enjoyed the last third, in which a young girl and her two new friends take turns with the device. It's a rare book that can take a weak premise (with no explanation whatsoever) and spin a good story with it.
Fed to jonathan's brain | July 12, 2006
| Comments (0)
