Comic Review: Dial H for Hero (2019-) #1

Dial H for Hero #1

DC Comics

Writer: Sam Humphries

Artist: Joe Quinones

Another revival of a silver age classic, Dial H for Hero is the newest addition to Bendis’ Wonder Comics imprint.

The relaunched mini follows Miguel – a teenage thrill seeker from Devil’s Canyon, California. When he was ten years old, he attempted to do a crazy stunt at the pool and almost died. Luckily for him, Superman arrived, cracked a bad joke and rushed him to the hospital, assuring him everything’s gonna be alright. Unfortunately for him, things never got alright as tragedy struck his family and he was forced to move in with his uncle and work at his food truck, ‘Mayo Sandwiches’. He continued to… seek thrills (heh), but nothing ever came close to the time Superman flew him. At least not until he slipped from the top of the Devil’s Canyon and the ‘Dial H for Hero’ phone appeared to him mid-fall. As he uses it, the phone transforms him into a Rob Liefeld-type superhero. He just might have gotten more than he bargained for.

Miguel narrates the book, telling his story to Superman. However, it’s still unclear if he has written a letter, or if he’s explaining himself to Superman in person (or over the phone). It’s a cool way to write a story and it covers the basic backstory nicely. Humphries has crafted an interesting character and I’m looking forward to hanging out with Miguel in the coming months.. Summer also looks okay, but she give a somewhat manic pixie dream girl vibe. But maybe I’m wrong and she’ll end up being a more rounded character, capable of standing on her own.

Joe Quinones is the artist on the book, switching up between two styles. The ‘main’ style is okay, nothing too fabulous or worthy of special praise. There’s a nice summer vibe to it, which fits the location and the type of story nicely. The coloring here is hit-or-miss. It looks okay most of the times, but there are moments when it looks really rushed.

However, the ‘90s throwback artwork is fantastic. Quinones captures the designs, the coloring and the overall vibe of that era extremely well. Everything is over the top and full of explosions and it features the best worst hero I’ve seen in a while. The lettering on this part is also fantastic, especially on the heroes speech bubbles. They are a huge reason why you’ll be laughing out loud at the sight of the action and the hero.

Despite some minor problems, it’s a fun book overall. Miguel is a fitting protagonist, the concept is tried and tested, and the ‘summoned’ hero is reason enough to make you come back for more and see what else the creative team’s got in store. Recommended.