Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Illustrated by Brad WalkerIn the aftermath of Shadowland, Marvel’s greatest street heroes — Punisher, Moon Knight, Shroud, Elektra, Paladin, Silver Sable, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Falcon, Misty Knight and more — leap into one all-new series! Who has brought these dangerous loners into one fighting force? How is this network different from all other teams? Who is their first target, and what mysteries wait for them? Discover the answers and enter the action on Marvel’s mean streets, courtesy of fan-favorite writers Dan Abnett & Andly Lanning (THE THANOS IMPERATIVE, PUNISHER: YEAR ONE) and artist Brad Walker (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY)!
The Cosmic epic is done, and DnA have moved from space down to the street to tell a brand new story. Their name on the title was enough to pull me in, and Brad Walker from Guardians pretty much sealed the deal. But how did the issue pan out? Find out my thoughts after the cut.
It feels like lately, there has been a tremendous upturn in the popularity of “street level heroes.” This isn’t something that I think you’d see as much five years ago, but the tremendous success of Daredevil and Bendis’ use of various characters throughout New Avengers has certainly had a positive effect on the popularity of these characters. Of course, I can’t help but remember the last time we had a Heroes For Hire title, which was championed by another popular comic book duo, and which promptly ended a year and a half or so into it’s run. So the question now is, with a team dynamic that might not necessarily work in Marvel’s current Heroic Age, what could make Heroes For Hire an enjoyable book?
The answer is, without a doubt, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. From the beginning of this book, it featured a clear voice that gave this book a definitive style which already set itself away from past versions. Featuring Misty Knight behind a computer monitor and organizing heroes to do work for her, “hiring” them on to complete specific tasks for her in a collaborative war on drugs. The whole set up immediately reminded me of the classic 1979 film The Warriors, with an unseen voice on the radio navigating various groups throughout New York in search of the eponymous gang. Misty Knight fills that role as Control, with her supporting cast of various heroes showing up to help fight against a brand new drug called Hook, which has a very sinister subplot to it.
DnA have often show that they’re good at featuring large casts of unique voices that mesh together. After handling the entire cosmic universe for the better part of the past five years, I can’t imagine they wouldn’t be great at it. You really get the sense of character with every hero that appears, as if they had to take breaks in writing to make sure they approached each character individually. Whatever they’re doing, it’s clearly working very well. Although, I must note – the ending of the issue threw me off. While I will not divulge spoilers for obvious reasons, I feel like the issue had a great story going, and the “final twist/revelation” skewed it a bit. I’m interested to see what they’re planning to do with this plot point, but it does sort of change my initial perception on the book.
The book looks rather great in the art department. Walker does a lot of big action sequences in the book, featuring a nice bit of nose destruction from Moon Knight and a great truck heist from Falcon and Widow. While each issue will obviously find itself with rotating cast members to suit the story, Walker does a good job with the heroes for this issue. Falcon has a tremendous presence, and Black Widow looks great. Moon Knight for me is the stand out of the issue, as Moon Knight is one of my personal favorite characters, and getting to see him break some faces in tremendous fashion is something I can always give a thumbs up to.
Suffice it to say, Heroes For Hire is off to a good start. The general premise and the way the heroes come into the book is great, and I love that 80’s vibe the book has inside of it. I’m anxious to see how “heroes” like Punisher and Ghost Rider show up, as well as the resolution of how this initial plotline is going to play out. DnA have certainly placed the Hook out there, and I’ll certainly be coming back for more next month.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – Buy
