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Small Press Spotlight: No Hero

By | February 16th, 2010
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How much do you want to be a super human?

In honor of Warren Ellis’ birthday, I thought it only too appropriate to take some time to look at one of the craziest things he’s written recently, and probably ever: No Hero. Part of me felt I should do a write up on Ignition City, which is definitely a favorite of me and is coming out in trade this week, but when I was looking at what I own from Avatar Press, No Hero sticks out the most and always will. Why is that? Because No Hero is one of the single most f*@#ed up things I’ve ever read.

Those that know me know I try not to swear during my professional write-ups, but No Hero is seriously one of the most twisted and insane things I’ve ever read, and by far one of the coolest books you could ever hope to own with Warren Ellis’ name on it.

When you look at the basics of it, No Hero is yet another deconstruction of the superhero genre and mythos on the market. Big deal, you might say. However, No Hero has two great selling points that no other book can get at: 1) It’s written by Warren Ellis, and 2) it’s the single most insane thing I’ve ever read. Where other dissections fail, No Hero takes apart superheroes at the seams and shows you what their creepy innards look like, and I mean that both figuratively and literally. This is not a book for the faint of heart.

No Hero stars Josh, a young man looking to “make a difference in the world.” I put that in quotes because, by the end of the tale, I can’t really stand by that statement any longer. In the story, superheroes have existed since the 60’s, and the reason they have is mainly due to science. You see, there’s this funny little pill that, if you take it, will make you into a super human! How neat. Only problem is, there’s a really malicious catch – this pill will pull out every inner demon you’ve ever had ever and torture your brain into oblivion until you collapse into the fetal position on the floor. You see, the pill interacts with your mind, and the darker your mind is, the worse your reaction will be to the pill, so before you get to fly off roof tops and stop crashing planes, you have to face yourself, and sometimes that’s worse. Not only that, but your reaction to the pill will result in what kind of power you get exactly, and this is probably the biggest point to the story, as we learn.

As previously mentioned, the book is written by the maniacal Warren Ellis, who can range from the most logical thing you’ve ever read to the most hyperactive and crazy rants of a madman. This is closer to the madman side, and I absolutely love it for that. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that made me so grossed out but so intrigued at the same time. I remember when I first saw this comic on the stands at a comic shop in New Jersey, and I decided to buy it on a lark because they had the first couple of issues. Even now I can’t tell if this was a smart decision or not, because clearly in buying this I’ve told Warren Ellis it’s ok to be crazy.

Then again, aren’t all geniuses? See, the thing about No Hero that I really love is that there is no take on the superhero genre like this anywhere else on the market. Seriously. This is going to be a bit of a spoiler, but I highly doubt you’ll see any other “super hero” kill someone with their dick… except maybe in the Boys… and probably even then! (end spoiler) Where other books fail to really get down into the nitty gritty of the superhero stories, No Hero does not fail. It shows what I believe to be the most logical interpretation of what would happen if an every day Joe (or in this case Josh) was given the ability to get super powers, and it’s horrifying.

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Of course, half the reason for that is Juan Jose Ryp. Ellis and Ryp had worked together previously on the book Black Summer (which I have not read, but I believe is being adapted into a feature film soon?), and anyone who has seen the cover to the trade of that book knows what he is capable of. When I mentioned that you see your inner demons after taking the pill, I really mean you’ll see your inner demons. The sequences that follow after Josh takes the pill are truly brilliant and horrifying at the same time. In fact, most of his artwork is horrifying, and I mean that not in the “Wow, it’s so bad!” kind of way, but in the “JESUS CHRIST, how did he think to draw THAT?!” kind of way. Again, death by penis. It’s sequences like that that really make me love No Hero for what it is over what other books like it try to do.

While taking apart the superhero genre will never be an original idea anymore, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done well. No Hero is a perfect example of that, and the week that it came out in trade, I urged everyone I knew to buy it. It is a gritty and incredibly dark piece of writing, and if you’re already familiar with Ellis’ work you’ll feel right at home in this book. It’s a dark comedy, it’s a serious and dramatic piece of work, and it’s a horror story. It’s a Warren Ellis story, and it’s downright awesome.


//TAGS | Off the Cape

Matthew Meylikhov

Once upon a time, Matthew Meylikhov became the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Multiversity Comics, where he was known for his beard and fondness for cats. Then he became only one of those things. Now, if you listen really carefully at night, you may still hear from whispers on the wind a faint voice saying, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not as bad as everyone says it issss."

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