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Wednesday 22 January 2020

Heroes in Crisis #1 Review (Tom King, Clay Mann)


Superheroes lie dead in the fields surrounding an isolated Nebraska farmstead: Wally West Flash, Hotspot, Blue Jay, Arsenal, all of whom were being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder at the Sanctuary. An unlikely figure - Harley Quinn - sets out for vengeance against the killer… Booster Gold?!

Every time I pick up an event book there’s a little voice in my head saying, hoping, “Maybe this is the one event comic that won’t suck donkey testicles?” It’s too early to tell but, hey lookit that, the first issue of Heroes in Crisis wasn’t bad!

Clay Mann’s art has never looked better. My gawd, the line work is utterly stunning. Bordering on photorealistic, his Harley is wonderfully expressive, even his Booster Gold looks amazing and that dude’s body language isn’t nearly as lively. I loved the sonic boom in Superman’s wake as he swooped down to the farmhouse and that cover is fantastic. Full marks for the artistry on this comic which is flawless.

Tom King hasn’t really hooked me with the story. I don’t care about Booster or Harley, let alone the dead C-list characters, some, like Hotspot and Blue Jay, I’ve never even heard of, making it impossible to be affected by their “deaths”. Also, I wonder if PTSD is perhaps too serious a subject for a superhero comic to be tackling.

Not that it’s badly written but the story is definitely missing that “wow” factor, at least so far. Heroes in Crisis #1 is a mediocre beginning to a seemingly unexciting series. But I’m still curious to see if Tom King can pull off a good event comic - if anyone can it’s this dude - as well as see what else he’s got up his sleeve. I’ll read the full story when it’s collected though I don’t need to read this one in the monthlies.

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