Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: On Duty in Hell
Written by: Ty Templeton
Penciled by: Clement Sauve Jr. & Norm Breyfogle
Inked by: Dennis Janke
Colored by: Moose Baumann
Lettered by: Clem Robins
Editor: Dan Raspler & Valerie D’Orazio
Publisher: DC Comics
So underrated, so unread, so unloved!
The abysmal sales for the Human Defense Corps mini-series really get under my skin. DC has released a lot of under whelming mini-series in the last couple of years, but HDC wasn’t one of them. This was a truly original series, using some interesting plotting devices, and a featuring an outstanding group of characters. Writer Ty Templeton kept the book firmly rooted in the DC Universe with the inclusion of a handful of recognizable faces, like: Lois Lane, Little Sureshot, and this month with Vicki Vale and Neron. The book was tremendously successful at breaking new ground, but was sadly almost completely overlooked by most comic readers.
Once again, the events depicted in issue #6 are told from a first person narrative to great effect. The featured protagonist for most of the series has been Sgt. Montgomery Kelly, and this issue it’s his show once again. Templeton uses the enjoyable device of Kelly being interviewed by Vicki Vale for Night News Live. The series closes out through Kelly’s narrative of events, which quite literally brought the Corps to Hell.
Templeton, who I’ve always thought of more as an artist, has proven himself as a fine writer. He’s taken all of the events from issue # 1 onward, and tied everything together into a very neat package. The dialogue was excellent, and the action packed final confrontation exceeded my expectations. All leading up to an unforgettable ending, that makes me salivate for more. Human Defense Corps is a great concept, and I’d love to see it become a monthly series!
I’ve never claimed to be a great art critic; in fact my review of artwork is very flawed. It usually comes down to, “me like that†or “that stinksâ€. So I’d like to say, me like that! Clement Sauve Jr., who’s been with the book from the start, does a great job. Norm Breyfogle, who’s one of my favorites from his days on the Bat-books, and the recently cancelled Spectre, joins in with a nice collaboration on the penciling duties. The styles of Mr. Sauve and Mr. Breyfogle worked very well together. I’m pretty certain I know which pages each gentleman worked their magic on, but I wouldn’t want to bet my life on it.
Buy ‘em cheap!
Well thanks to no one reading the comic, I’d say a sequel is out of the question. While your purchases now won’t help this book get a second mini, buying the series should brighten your day. If you have some sort of discount bins at your local shop, or see the series at a comic convention, you should find them well worth your time and money. Remember when you read them, “Chris sent youâ€! Of course, if by some stroke you didn’t like them, forget about my recommendation completely.
