June 22, 2004
HENCH
Written by Adam Beechen and Drawn by Manny Bello
Published by Ait/PlanetLar
The comic book industry, for better or worse, is delicately built on the backs of the superheroes.
It is the sales fate of those who dress in capes and tights (or “pervert suits” as scribe Warren Ellis likes to call them) that determines whether or not the major companies are profitable, and if they aren’t profitable then most comics shops will wither and die. How much does that suck?
There is a great deal of amazing product being created these days, in many genres, genres that don’t feature skin tight costumes, exaggerated proportions, and a homo-erotic subtext. But it’s difficult for many readers to find, either because many retailers are afraid that they can’t sell enough of it because their store won’t draw the demographic that reads it; or, because many retailers just don’t care about anything but pervert suits. Run your mind around it a bit- it’s a brilliant “catch-22.”
In the field that loves the pervert suits, you will usually find at least a few clever creators who have worked to find a new angle on the topic if the superhero. It isn’t easy. Deconstructionist takes on the “powers” genre have littered the landscape fairly heavily over the past twenty years, never more so than in the last five years. Ellis’ AUTHORITY. Brian Bendis’ POWERS. Ed Brubaker’s SLEEPER. Deconstructionism would seem to be a loaf of bread with just about a day of shelf life left.
Yet, some way, somehow, Ait/PlanetLar head honcho Larry Young has turned up a couple of new guys with a fresh take on the genre in Adam Beechen and Manny Bello. What an unexpected, and terrific surprise!
Mike Fulton was a football star, a tough as nails linebacker. Then, thanks to some dirty play from the opposition, his knee, and his football career, were obliterated. Struggling to get by and take care of his wife and sick child, he is offered the strangest opportunity of a lifetime: to become a professional henchman for the supervillains in his city, with all the battles versus superheroes, odd triumphs and actual successes in robberies, and other assorted bizarreness that accompanies it. He of course takes the job.
We meet Mike in media res, as he is holding a chained up superhero at gunpoint debating his next move, knowing he is cornered, and we follow his story, his tragedies, his rare victories through flashback. That allows us to get a portrait of Mike built from the ground up. Fulton is developed very well, and we are shown that he isn’t necessarily a bad man, or an evil one, but one whose poor judgment and poor circumstances have led him down a path that he can no longer see a clear way off of. It’s a startling and moving portrayal, one that I will admit was very unexpected.
Indeed, the depth that Fulton is given, and the way we are drawn into the story in an emotional fashion makes HENCH one of the year’s biggest and most pleasant surprises. I found myself rooting for Mike to get his shit together every step of the way. This book has had an unusually low profile for an Ait/PlanetLar release, but it might just be the finest graphic novel they’ve released in the past year. I could go on and on about the story and the contents, but I’d be doing you all a disservice by spoiling the plot for you. The dialogue is crisp and realistic, the art is sharp and tells the story very effectively. Another fine jewel for Larry Young’s little empire. Grade: A
Should It Be A Movie?
HENCH is a eminently filmable story. With such a strong lead character and point of view, it’d be a shame not to see someone option this fairly quickly. Mike is one of the best written African-American characters to hit comics in the last few years, and there are plenty of talented actors in Hollywood who would chomp at the bit for a part as good as the titular henchman. It wouldn’t even be a ridiculously expensive film to make, either. This one just feels like a no-brainer.
FINISHES
TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD: 100 STORIES
Written and Drawn by Tom Beland
Published by Ait/PlanetLar
AiT has already put out a collection of Beland’s wonderful romance comic detailing how he met his wife Lily met and pursued their long distance courtship. Now they have released a collection of Beland’s hilarious strip and mini-comic work. These amusing little bon mots cover the gamut from his warm relationship with his parents to the ultra-hilarious moment from his childhood when Dolly Parton wanted to give him a hug (warning- don’t be drinking anything when you get to that gag). His droll and amusing caricaturist stylings tell his stories in effective fashion, and unlike most strip-style collections, there are few duds. Grade: A-
DR. BLINK, SUPERHERO SHRINK #0
Written by John Kovalic and Drawn by Christopher Jones
Published by Dork Storm Press
Dr. Frederick Wertham Blink is the best-selling author of “Chicken Soup For The Super Soul.” However, once you analyze the folks with powers in print, you’d better be well-prepared for them to show up at your door-step looking for your help! This is an amusing collection of shorts that ran in the back of Kovalic’s DORK TOWER series, and for the most part they’re a charming and droll exercise. Since the pieces were created as shorts, it’s difficult to complain that the characters lack depth and definition, but the future issues are supposed to contain new, full-length content, so that’s easily correctible. Dork Storm Press has quietly been putting out a nice selection of low-key but quality titles over the last few years. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt again on this one. Grade: B
After last week’s long-winded look at TRANSMETROPOLITAN, I’m calling it a day. Peace out, and see you in seven!
E-mail me from the link provided. Review materials may be sent to: Marc Mason, P.O. Box 26732, Tempe, AZ 85285. You can also find me at The Comics Waiting Room
E-MAIL THE AUTHOR |
ARCHIVES
