Hero Comics 2012

Written by Kevin Eastman, Tom Ziuko, Chris Ryall, Russ Heath, Christian Gossett, Alan Kupperberg, Richard Starkings, Robert Washington
Art by Kevin Eastman, Gerry Acerno, Ashley Wood, Russ Heath, Christian Gossett, Alan Kupperberg, Dave Sim, Chris Ivy

There is a different expectation when reviewing or discussing a book like Hero Comics.  To begin with, the comic is an anthology produced to funnel profits to the Hero Initiative, a fund that helps ailing and destitute comics creators who are in financial need.  The work they do is essential - these writers and artists are freelancers who have contributed to an art form that does not provide a pension or, frequently, gratitude for a life of service to a product that we all love.

The collection of work in books like this, then, is a hodge-podge of work by creators who are donating their time.  Usually, there are some cool and special things in these books for true comics fans.

This issue opens with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story by Kevin Eastman.  I've never been a Turtles fan, but this is a nice story.  There is also a collection of Zombies Vs. Robots strips, which did very little for me.

What had me most excited here was the fact that there is a new The Red Star story by that comic's creator, Christian Gossett.  I love the Red Star, and have been missing it.  Gossett gives us a story about soldiers fighting in Al'Istaan, and the comic is clearly a metaphor for America's current involvement in Afghanistan (the rest of the series can be read as an examination of the Soviet Union's Afghan policies, albeit with science fiction flying crafts and magic).  Gossett doesn't use any of the digital tricks he usually employs, but I still got a thrill out of reading this.

Dave Sims draws an Elephantmen story here too.  This is a matching of artist and story that I can't believe hasn't happened before now, as I can't think of a better artist for this.  The story is wordy and doesn't go anywhere, but it looks incredibly cool.

There are also a number of one-page strips spotlighting creators who have had to turn to the Hero Initiative for help.  They include comics legend Russ Heath, which just feels wrong to me.  Also included here are Tom Ziuko, Alan Kupperberg, and Robert Washington.

This is the type of comic that everyone should be buying, as it goes to a good cause.  If you felt even a little bit of outrage about the Avengers/Jack Kirby thing, you should go buy this comic, just to balance out your karma a little.

Hearts and Minds: A Vietnam Love Story

Written by Doug Murray
Art by Russ Heath

Feeling nostalgic for the early days of the 'graphic novel', the over-sized comics of the late 80s that tried to showcase more refined storytelling, or were in some other way remarkable, I jumped at the chance to pick this book up for only $2 when I saw it in a used book store.

Unfortunately, Hearts and Minds isn't very good.  It perhaps could have been, but it is a little too amateurish to really work.  It opens in Vietnam, where VC forces enter a village, and attempt to recruit new men.  One man, Duan Le, refuses to join them, so they put him in charge of looking after a small crate of weapons.  Later, Americans find the weapons and shoot Duan, before evacuating the village, including his wife, Nhi.  Duan survives and joins the Viet Cong, although little is shown of how he goes about this.  We are left to presume that he just hates Americans.

Then we slide over to the States, where we meet Brett, a young man about to enter college, who ends up flunking out of ROTC, and getting drafted.    Once he ends up in the 'Nam, as a lieutenant, his Captain sends him to a whorehouse, where he meets and falls in love with Nhi.  Later, he buys out her contract, and makes plans to take her back to the States with him.  A major offensive (just before Tet) by the VC lands them all in some tough spots, and all three characters meet up in Nhi's apartment.

The notion behind this comic is good; it's just given a very ham-fisted delivery.  The characters are little more than archetypes, and much of the story seems to be designed to test the more liberal boundaries of Epic at the time (in other words, there are boobs and swear words).  I never once cared for the characters, and found the way that Nhi called Brett 'master' creepy, even if she was just joking.

Russ Heath is a legend in the comics world, but this feels a little phoned in.  While still Stateside, Brett is always wearing the same sweater (it has a B on it, like we're in Riverdale).  The size of the lettering suggests that this book was originally planned to be a regularly-sized comic, and then was simply blown up for the larger format Marvel used back then, but without adding any more detail to the art.

It's weird.  By this point, Murray was writing much better stories about Vietnam in The 'Nam; I don't know why this book isn't better.

Enemy Ace: War in Heaven

Written by Garth Ennis and Robert Kanighar
Art by Chris Weston, Christian Alamy, Russ Heath, and Joe Kubert

This is pretty much exactly what you would expect from a Garth Ennis-written update of a classic DC war hero.  As the Second World War continues, and as Germany starts losing skilled pilots, an old friend brings WWI vet Hans von Hammer, the Enemy Ace, out of retirement and into the cockpit of modern fighter planes.

What makes this story work is the tension between von Hammer and his fellow officer, a Nazi functionary.  Von Hammer is an aristocratic German who is fighting out of a sense of duty to his country, but he has no patience for or interest in Nazi ideology.  There are some very funny scenes as the two square off, but since von Hammer is such an asset to his forces, there is little that can be done about him.

The artists, Weston and Alamy on the first half of the story, and Heath on the second, do an excellent job of conveying the excitement and drama of high altitude dog fighting, and you can tell they had a great time drawing all of these old planes.

Included in this book is a reprint of a classic Kanigher and Kubert Enemy Ace story from the 50s.  It's interesting to look back at the character's roots, and Kubert's work is always a treat.