Reviewer: Tim Stevens
Story Title: Heroes
Written by: Dan Jolley
Pencilled by: Jamal Igle
Inked by: Rob Stull
Colored by: Chris Sotomayor
Lettered by: Phil Balsman
Editor: Stephen Walker
Publisher: DC Comics
Jason is having a rough time of it as of late. Two issues ago he learned that the former Firestorm bought it because of a sword to the belly, first through vivid nightmares and then confirmed by the Justice League. Last issue, he and his dad were tortured by a brutal drug dealer and Jason lost control of Firestorm for a time to that very same dealer.
After all of that, you had to know that there was going to be some fallout this issue. And sure enough, we see it right on the first page. Seems Jason’s dad, who has already demonstrated that he has issues with keeping his temper under wraps, is none too thrilled to find his son is a superhero. He blames Jason for the torture they both endured last issue and wishes him to be gone from the house as soon as possible. It is a house, by the way, that the father is in danger of losing because of “bad decisions.”
In the midst of this standoff (that culminates in Daddy Rusch demanding Jason perform a miracle for him) a woman named Lorraine Reilly knocks on the Rusches front door, looking for answers. She is a friend of Ronnie Raymond (Jason’s predecessor) and is looking to find out what exactly has happened to Raymond. She is also Firehawk, in case you were wondering. I had to look that one up myself.
The third plotline that develops this month concerns Firestorm’s attempt to help a sick and suicidal young woman who is a bit more than she initially appears.
We all love our experienced superheroes, it is true. We love to see what these near-gods can do when they are at the top of their game. However, there is something undeniably compelling about a rookie superhero struggling to find his way in and out of the costume. This is a tone that Jolley writes very well. Jason’s life, while no picnic before the powers, has only seemed to have gotten more and more messy. This “gift” has further complicated the already borderline abusive relationship that he and his dad shared. There are strange people showing up at his house interrogating him. The JLA is seemingly passing out his secret identity to whoever requests it. I like my heroes with a layer of complexity. I like the idea that superpowers can be both delighted in and cursed at. This is a book that delivers that dichotomy nicely.
My only complaint is that the pacing of the issue strikes me as off. The father-son argument unfolds nicely and is well paced, especially since the background of that conflict has already been built up. However, the exchange between Lorraine and Jason seems rushed (complete with the beeper ending their conversation before it can really begin) and the third plotline, with the sick woman, dominates the latter part of the issue despite being largely static.
On the art side of things, Igle does a nice job. Good figures, a strong sense of perspective. There is nothing here that will set the world on fire, but it is still good.
