This week on Comicphiles we’re looking at some of the newest titles from Marvel, Boom! Studios and DC Comics. Seeing as many fans pick a corner (often between Marvel and DC… poor Boom! Studios is piggy in the middle), there’s something for everyone!
Hyperion
It’s absolutely obvious to even the newest of comic readers that Hyperion was based on Superman. To his detriment, in my opinion, because for anyone familiar with the iconic superhero, there are far too many similarities.
A month or so ago I would probably prefer this Hyperion over Superman because I wasn’t a fan of the man of steel at all, but since picking up a few recent Superman comics I’ve changed my tune.
Hyperion is going by the name of Marc and trying to blend in to normal life, seemingly disillusioned with superhero life. A young girl called Doll is having none of it, however, and she crosses paths with him in an effort to get into his truck so that he can protect her.
It turns out that Doll has escaped a circus full of mutants and she’s not heading back without a fight. It’s fairly obvious why, too, as we see them in all their weird glory during a Mad Max-like car chase which made me think that everything in the comic may have been ripped off from other, better stories.
We don’t find out too much about either of the characters in the first issue, only that Doll is scared and wants to escape with the help of Marc, who she believes to be the hero Hyperion, and that Hyperion very much wants to continue being just a truck driver.
I wasn’t too interested with the story and I was surprised at just how similar Hyperion is to Superman, right down to the super strength, flight and red laser eyes (they could have at least changed the colour!). I probably won’t pick up issue 2 because life is too short for wasting time reading mediocre comics.
Joyride
Judging by the cover (because I’m nothing but consistent), Joyride looked like it would be a fun space adventure. And that’s exactly what it is. Featuring an inspiring main character who is the embodiment of the phrase ‘free as a bird’, we follow her and her friend/lover as they execute a plan to leave their planet to explore the galaxy.
To do this, the main character has made a deal with a distant alien to taxi down and collect them so they can start adventuring. Naive as hell, right? Yeah, well get used to that with this character. They have a run-in with a Jabba the Hutt like alien who has other plans for them besides adventuring and they also clash with a Type A personality who tries to stop them leaving.
So far I’m a fan of the characters as, although it’s not new for a protagonist to believe they can take on the universe, it is refreshing to see one so open and unapologetic about their intentions, selfish as they may be. She just wants to see the galaxy and nobody and nothing is going to stand in the way.
As well as the protagonist, who I very much want to see more of, a robot character was introduced in the last few panels who I think could rival Baymax in the adorbz factor. I can’t wait to see more of him and the adventures that this ragtag crew will embark on. They very much remind me of a human version of Guaridans of the Galaxy in terms of their interactions so I’m excited to see where this goes.
Bloodlines
I used to read DC comics very sporadically. When I did, it was almost exclusively Batman as I had a kind of irrational dislike for other iconic characters like Superman, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn based on nothing more than Marvel fan-girl prejudice.
Recently, I’ve broadened my horizons (and my pull list) and I’ve included several DC titles like Superman: American Alien (which is brilliant), Rebirth and Bloodlines, which I picked up a few days ago in a newfound effort to give DC a proper go.
The official synopsis of Bloodlines is that a meteor crashes to Earth and brings an unspeakable alien presence with it that terrorises a small town. The lucky ones die first and the rest find themselves locked in a struggle for control of their bodies and minds. It’s not just an invasion, it’s an infestation.
I have to say that the comic itself did not feel anything like the synopsis. At the start, we observe the meteor crashing to Earth and wrecking a bit of havoc to a couple of poor deers’ anatomy, but other than that there’s no real sense of a threat. That is, however, until the last couple of pages where we see an attack on the humans by the same deers at the start who have been transformed into monstrous killing machines.
The main character (whose name I can’t remember) sees his friend in mortal danger and, in his grief and anger, he becomes what I can only describe as a blue version of the hulk with blonde hair and red eyes. Perhaps his mutation is his own and it’s nothing to do with the “infestation” that the synopsis mentions. Maybe the mutation is organic and what has happened to the deers is the infestation that he then has to fight. It’s unclear for now, but I like that they don’t just give away the whole cow in the first issue.
Overall the art is good, particularly the first few panels, but the artist has a habit of making everyone look beautiful, which I’m not a fan of as I prefer characters to look more varied than that. Not everyone looks like a runway model in the real world and they shouldn’t in comic worlds either.
I also like that they’ve chosen a disabled main character as it could offer some very interesting character development in regards to his mutation, which appears to manifest in bursts rather than as a constant. As for the other characters, they were introduced in a panel or two but they made a lasting impression so I’ll pick up issue 2 to see where this goes.
