As part of their New 52 Second Wave, DC relaunched one of their more ambitious titles in their catalog, “Dial H” (formerly for Hero). Let’s see if it’s as successful as it is ambitious. As a note, the review discusses mild spoilers.
Written by China Mieville
Illustrated by Mateus Santolouco
- A brand new series by bestselling and Hugo award winning novelist CHINA MIEVILLE!
- What would happen if you discovered the H Dial, an unbelievably powerful artifact that turned you into a super hero?
- And what if you found out that the world is threatened by this very device that’s become your uncontrollable obsession?
- These are just the first questions asked in this thrilling and inventive storyline that introduces the strangest super heroes and super villains in the DCU while exploring the boundaries of reality
Man, talk about ambitious! “Dial H” is probably one of the most unique and risk-taking titles on the market today, simply because it does what quite literally no other book can really do (with the possible exception of Resurrection Man of course), and that’s give creative team the ability and opportunity to give their stories and characters off beat powers that would otherwise never see the light of day in a Superman or Batman title, or maybe not even a Legion of Super-Heroes title.
The basic plot of the book goes like this: Nelson is a down on his luck guy who is out of shape, overweight, jobless, and alone, aside from his friend who is trying to motivate him to get more active. It doesn’t really work at first glance, because “Nelse” doesn’t really feel any motivation to do as such. It’s pretty clear the guy is depressed, and it’s putting a strain on the relationship with his friend.
That’s just the first couple of pages. Without wanting to spoil, Mieville crafted a realistic relationship between Nelson and his friend Darren, when there is a mental illness involved. He’s not “crazy,” he’s down on himself and he feels everything else is down on him as well, so he retreats into himself and further punishes himself in the process.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Mieville’s creative process is the creativity of the heroic characters that pop up from the magic phone that grant super powers. Not since LOST has there been a smoke monster used as effectively in not only frightening those who deserve it, but it makes for one of the most visually dynamic characters since Jack Skellington or even the internet meme Slender Man. Tall, stick then, and with the ability to control an breathe smoke, he’s a suitably creepy character to play with for an issue or two. In the same vein, “Captain Lachrymose,” who looks like Pre-Skrillex Sonny Moore in an emo-themed costume, has one of the most interesting abilities I’ve ever seen; even if he looks like Hot Topic’s mascot.
But perhaps most importantly, this first issue sets up a gritty street level crime story that might just be the thing Nelson needs to get out from under that rock of depression while introduction a bunch of new characters, like the mysterious X.N. in a place we’ve never really seen before, although “Littleville” could be “Smallville’s” sister city. Is the story about his assumed depression accurate if this happens? Probably not but I don’t think that was really the point. It’s a bit of escapism where things CAN be that easy for once, even in the face of an impending mob hit.
However, while Mieville’s work is some of the most dynamic and unique plotting in comics today, it wouldn’t have been nearly as well done if it weren’t for the efforts of one Mateus Santolouco. Taking cues from another popular DC artist, JH Williams III, Santolouco pushes the boundaries of panel layout and how a character interacts with the page; it makes for a wonderfully surreal experience, one that’s perfect for a book about a mystical telephone that grants superpowers temporarily. Even beyond that, everything in the art is a win, the character designs are creepy and funny when they should be, and the rich (if dark) palate provides great atmosphere for such a dark series. Furthermore, while it’s indeed a serious and dark book, the sense of humor never fades, with sight gags and Easter Eggs that make the book just as enjoyable on the second or third read as it is on the first.
Continued belowPerhaps the most interesting thing about a book like “Dial H” is that this book could turn out to be the best advertisement for Indie books put out by the big two. There’s no book quite like this under the DC Umbrella, with perhaps a few exceptions over in their Vertigo Imprint. If someone who is growing increasingly tired of superhero books and their constant status quo changes and For-Event storytelling, they might start to look for something from Top Cow or Dark Horse or IDW for something that doesn’t feel like everything else on the market with “Marvel” or “DC” across the cover.
If you happen to like this book, and you’re not reading much in the way of Image or BOOM books, go check out one of their books. You’ll probably like it.
Final Score: 9.0 — I don’t see why you wouldn’t like it, either.
