When you think about it, super-heroes are kinda funny. As much as I love them, the basic concept of people who put on spandex, meet arch-enemies, and pound the stuffing out of each other while rambling philosophically about the nature of good and evil is humorous. So every once in a while, it is nice for a comic to come along and take the pompous wind out of the sails of the whole super-hero genre.
Hero Squared, by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Joe Abraham, in the grand tradition of The Tick, revels in pointing out the funny side of the super-heroic life. From the knowingly melodramatic, "Which one of these people will DIE in this issue?" on the cover, to the shocking reveal at the end, this book really plays with the super-hero stereotypes for great comedic effect. Don't get the idea that this is a mean-spirited parody though, these guys clearly love comic book super-heroes as much as the rest of us, and the jokes are more like good-natured ribbing than mocking jabs.
Our hero, a slacker of the first order named Milo, is stuck in a rut and his life is going pretty much nowhere. He is too busy being an "artiste" to lower himself to taking a real, paying job. His relationship with his "far too good for him" girlfriend is going nowhere, and even his loser best friend is criticizing his life choices. Milo's self-esteem does not improve when he meets another Milo from an alternate universe. You see, where our Milo has pretty much failed to achieve anything, alternate Milo became Captain Valor the greatest hero of his universe. If only our Milo hadn't skipped out on that 10th grade field trip---
As you might expect, both the plot and the dialogue by DeMatteis and Giffen are all-around excellent. The interplay between the two Milos is hilarious, and this is not a comic that you will breeze through in 10 minutes time. There is plenty to digest and ponder on these pages. Abraham's art is simple and easy to follow, and he does a great job with the subtle differences between plain old Milo and Captain Valor.
If you like your super-hero comics with a bit of humor, you will love Hero Squared. This comic is worth reading for the villain's pathetic sidekick alone. Plus, you'll learn new words like calumny and keglers, proving that comics can be fun AND educational. Try out Hero Squared #1 now, while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week!
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