Dial H for Hero #5 – Sam Humphries, Writer; Joe Quinones, Artist; Scott Hanna, Inker; Jordan Gibson, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Sam Humprhies and Joe Quinones continue the first arc of their mind-bending road trip superhero adventure with Dial H for Hero #5 that eschews the flashy transformations of the first four issues for a more emotional journey through the mysterious Heroverse – but still delivers the visual thrills thanks to Quinones’ unique style.
When we last left off, Miguel seemingly sacrificed himself to the H-Dial and vanished, leaving Summer and Snapper Carr wondering about their next move. For Summer, that move turns out to be semi-stealing the Super-Mobile and going on a wacky high-skies adventure through Gotham before eventually crashing into a Metropolis skyscraper, but for Miguel it’s much more complicated. The story so far has been driven by a pair of masked figures – the sinister Mister Thunderbolt, who directs an army of obsessed former H-dial users; and the benevolent Operator, revealed to be an older Robby Reed. And the cosmic realm of the Heroverse is where both of them make their next moves.
The Heroverse is a dimension lurking within the H-dial, and it takes many forms. In the opening pages of the issue, Miguel is stalked through the pages of classic superhero origins starting with Batman by Mister Thunderbolt, showing us each the pivotal moments that these icons began their heroic journeys. He’s eventually saved from an attack by the Operator, who begins to explain to him how this world works.
The best scene of Dial H for Hero #5 as Miguel tries to figure out what his key moment is, is a flashback to the second time he met Superman after a shattering tragedy. It’s no surprise Humphries is doing so well with a very serious Harley Quinn arc – he’s a master of fusing the absurd with the human and tragic. But while Miguel is figuring things out, Mister Thunderbolt is getting better control of this world and eventually makes a huge gambit in Metropolis that sets us up for a super-sized conclusion.
But it’s not over – this series has been expanded another six issues, and it’s not hard to see why.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
