by Whitney Grace
Staff Writer
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Nelson Jent is a slob. He doesn’t have a job, girlfriend, and he is overweight. It is obvious he doesn’t have anything positive happening to him, but some thieves chase him into a dark alley one night and he takes refuge in a phone booth. He attempts to call for help, but dials 2376 or H-E-R-O. He is transformed into an odd superhero, but he vanquishes the villains. Soon he takes up crime fighting and learns the more dangerous aspects of the occupation. He gains an unlikely ally as well; Roxie Hudder, an older woman, who has used the dial for years. The new pair find solace with each other and try to uncover the dial’s mysteries.
This is the fourth incarnation of the Dial H for Hero series. DC has experimented with the idea in sixties, eighties, and the early 2000s. This latest version coincides with the New 52. China Mielville is normally talked about as a science fiction novelist, but she lent her talent to comic books. Dial H exhibits the “alternate/unlikely superhero” plot that has become a popular comic subgenre and it proves to an original take on the theme. Nelson Jent is a very unlikeable guy and no one wants to read about his story. Tossing in the magical, mystery superhero dial and an elderly partner adds the dash of originality that makes it worth reading. While Dial H’s idea is intriguing, Mielville’s execution slows the page turning. She leaves out back story and other details that would make it easier to understand what exactly is the villains’ motivation and where the dial gets its powered. She hints at this information in bits and pieces, but it is not enough for good story flow.
Mateus Santolouco’s full color art helps quicken the pace and lock the reader’s eyes on the pages with the absurd heroes that Nelson and Roxy transform into. The examples are Captain Lachrymose, Boy Chimney, Baroness Resin, and Electro-Cutie. They aren’t something you would see these days, but maybe the Golden Age. Around the inking, there are speckled black marks. It gives the comic a sort of dingy feel that can often be found in nineties comics. It is, however, cleaner than the nineties printed ink and makes the comic more appealing.
Dial H lacks explanation in places, but its humor, strong characters, and creative will dial into success.
