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Hero squared #1
Hero Squared Volume 1
A slacker in this world, Milo is Captain Valor in the universe next door! When Valor's world is destroyed, he's shunted into our dimension and forced to team up with the most un-heroic of partners - himself!
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Keith Giffen
1,991 books204 followersKeith Ian Giffen was an American comic book illustrator and writer. He is possibly best-known for his long runs illustrating, and later writing the Legion of Super-Heroes title in the 1980s and 1990s. He also created the alien mercenary character Lobo (with Roger Slifer), and the irreverent "want-to-be" hero, Ambush Bug. Giffen is known for having an unorthodox writing style, often using characters in ways not seen before. His dialogue is usually characterized by a biting wit that is seen as much less zany than dialogue provided by longtime collaborators DeMatteis and Robert Loren Fleming. That approach has brought him both criticism and admiration, as perhaps best illustrated by the mixed (although commercially successful) response to his work in DC Comics' Justice League International (1987-1992). He also plotted and was breakdown artist for an Aquaman limited series and one-shot special in 1989 with writer Robert Loren Fleming and artist Curt Swan for DC Comics.
Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.
He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.
He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.
Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.
He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.
He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 27, 2010
Una rescatable parodia del comic de superhérores que no se aleja mucho del género parodiado en sí. Hay partes donde no se distingue bien si es una historieta netamente paródica o un comic de superhéroes de verdad con partes graciosas. Los personajes son predecibles pero no por eso están mal logrados. La historia se va armando en torno a una lucha épica que todavía no llega, pero resulta interesante igual, y dan ganas de leerse el siguiente tomo para ver cómo sigue la cosa. En cuanto al dibujo, en su gran mayoría está a cargo del prolijo y vistoso Joe Abraham, que despliega una puesta de página funcional y dota a sus personajes de una gama de expresiones que suman puntos a la jocosidad general. En resumen, un comic recomendable (más si se consigue a 15$) que espero que repunte en los dos tomos que quedan.
June 25, 2008
I liked this one a bit better than Planetary Brigade. While in some ways a sequel to that series, this stands alone pretty well.
Imagine being the most powerful superhero in the world, and watching that world destroyed by your arch-nemesis. Instead of dying, you are flung into an alternate world, one in which there are no superheroes. In fact, your alter-ego exists in this world as well...but never gained super-powers, because he's a slacker who ditched school on the day he would have received them on a field trip.
The alter-ego of his nemesis is also here, and also very different...
The story, as both versions of both this central character and his nemesis interact, is very interesting.
Imagine being the most powerful superhero in the world, and watching that world destroyed by your arch-nemesis. Instead of dying, you are flung into an alternate world, one in which there are no superheroes. In fact, your alter-ego exists in this world as well...but never gained super-powers, because he's a slacker who ditched school on the day he would have received them on a field trip.
The alter-ego of his nemesis is also here, and also very different...
The story, as both versions of both this central character and his nemesis interact, is very interesting.
August 30, 2014
I love the Giffen/DeMatteis JL books, but this doesn't quite work. It's horribly overwritten with the dialogue practically squeezing the characters our of some panels. And while the banter starts out funny, it grows old as the characters cover the same ground again and again. Not bad, but should have been better.
August 9, 2022
Not sure why the description is in Spanish... but here you go:
Plot: This story focuses on a superhero called Captain Valor, whose whole world was destroyed an all-powerful evil lord, also his ex-girlfriend. Instead of dying, Valor is sent to another reality, where he meets Milo, another version of himself who is a slacker. Basically, "comedy" then ensues as Milo and Valor try to get along, and then of course the evil overlord shows up... who looks identical to Milo's faithful girlfriend. So we get a lot of comedy of errors, basically.
Review: This wasn't bad, it just didn't feel like anything hugely special to me. The concept is okay, but I didn't get anything out of the execution. Giffen is obviously doing his classic JLI banter here, and it works to an extent, but I almost feel like this story is a vehicle, like an old-school musical, made to show off a particular skill rather than actually tell a story. And I say that as a fan of the JLI characters (although, granted, I did sometimes find their banter pretty childish and annoying. Even Batman made jokes in that series!)
The art also isn't anything special; it's just okay. Unless you are a die-hard fan of Giffen or are interested in this concept in general, I would say it's not especially worth the search it will take you to find it, but then again, it's more or less harmless fun. Don't go looking for anything too deep, and you'll probably have fun.
Plot: This story focuses on a superhero called Captain Valor, whose whole world was destroyed an all-powerful evil lord, also his ex-girlfriend. Instead of dying, Valor is sent to another reality, where he meets Milo, another version of himself who is a slacker. Basically, "comedy" then ensues as Milo and Valor try to get along, and then of course the evil overlord shows up... who looks identical to Milo's faithful girlfriend. So we get a lot of comedy of errors, basically.
Review: This wasn't bad, it just didn't feel like anything hugely special to me. The concept is okay, but I didn't get anything out of the execution. Giffen is obviously doing his classic JLI banter here, and it works to an extent, but I almost feel like this story is a vehicle, like an old-school musical, made to show off a particular skill rather than actually tell a story. And I say that as a fan of the JLI characters (although, granted, I did sometimes find their banter pretty childish and annoying. Even Batman made jokes in that series!)
The art also isn't anything special; it's just okay. Unless you are a die-hard fan of Giffen or are interested in this concept in general, I would say it's not especially worth the search it will take you to find it, but then again, it's more or less harmless fun. Don't go looking for anything too deep, and you'll probably have fun.
March 22, 2018
Not as funny as Giffen and DeMatteis' past collaborations, but they were starting to show some of the heart underneath the characters, so I might be back for Vol. 2. No matter how funny JLI was, it worked because the humor flowed from the characters and you believed Blue Beetle, J'Onn J'Onzz and Max Lord as characters.
I don't quite believe the Hero Squared cast yet - and the jokes alone (although occasionally funny) too often verge on tired old superhero parody jokes.
I don't quite believe the Hero Squared cast yet - and the jokes alone (although occasionally funny) too often verge on tired old superhero parody jokes.
February 27, 2022
A real candidate for 3.5 stars. Nothing new or earth-shattering, but good old comfort food DeMatteis-Giffen-style, and compelling enough to make me read the next one if I can find it.
March 7, 2017
Milon, Stephien ja näiden rinnakkaisesta universumista tulleiden supervoimaisten kaksoisolentojen välinen ihmissuhdepaletti sekoittuu entisestään "Hero Squared: Another Fine Mess" -albumissa.
Jo "Hero Squaredin" ensimmäinen osa oli suhteellisen mainio, mutta tarina kohoaa kunnolla lentoon vasta nyt. Sarjakuvan henkilöhahmot saavat enemmän syvyyttä, ja dialogi tuntuu muuttuneen entistä nokkelammaksi verbaaliseksi tulitukseksi. Mukaan on myös ympätty hauskoja pikkujuttuja: esimerkiksi metasarjakuva-osiosta on tehty ihan näppärä kunnianosoitus Stan Leelle ja Steve Ditkolle, tarkemmin kai klassiselle the Amazing Spider-Man -lehden numerolle #33. (Ok, myönnetään - tuo oli jo aika nörttiä).
Supersankarigenren parodiointia jatketaan entiseen malliin: erityisen osuva on kohtaus, jossa Kapteeni Valor hämmentyy kaksoisolentonsa juutalaisesta taustasta ja terapeuttinsa mustasta ihosta - hänen maailmassaan kun lähes kaikki viittasankarit kuuluvat valkoisten anglosaksisten protestanttien ryhmään.
Lisäksi Valor joutuu kantapään kautta oppimaan sen, ettei maailma toimi oikeasti samalla tavalla kuin hänen sarjakuva-universumissaan, jossa jako hyvään ja pahaan on absoluuttisen selkeä, ja sankari pelastaa joka kerta hätään joutuneen, eikä kukaan kuole (ellei herää välittömästi henkiin jollakin poppakonstilla). Ei etenkään, mikäli on viaton sivustakatsoja, joka joutuu keskelle supersankarien välienselvittelyä.
Lisäksi "Hero Squaredissa" suomitaan myös amerikkalaisen nyky-yhteiskunnan kipupisteitä, mutta tekijät eivät kuitenkaan mene sieltä mistä aita on matalin. Lukija säästyy lapselliselta saarnaukselta tai tarpeettomalta alleviivaamiselta.
Sarjakuvan piirrosjälki toimii sekin, vaikka ei ikimuistoisen upeaa olekaan.
Kolmatta osaa odotellessa...
Jo "Hero Squaredin" ensimmäinen osa oli suhteellisen mainio, mutta tarina kohoaa kunnolla lentoon vasta nyt. Sarjakuvan henkilöhahmot saavat enemmän syvyyttä, ja dialogi tuntuu muuttuneen entistä nokkelammaksi verbaaliseksi tulitukseksi. Mukaan on myös ympätty hauskoja pikkujuttuja: esimerkiksi metasarjakuva-osiosta on tehty ihan näppärä kunnianosoitus Stan Leelle ja Steve Ditkolle, tarkemmin kai klassiselle the Amazing Spider-Man -lehden numerolle #33. (Ok, myönnetään - tuo oli jo aika nörttiä).
Supersankarigenren parodiointia jatketaan entiseen malliin: erityisen osuva on kohtaus, jossa Kapteeni Valor hämmentyy kaksoisolentonsa juutalaisesta taustasta ja terapeuttinsa mustasta ihosta - hänen maailmassaan kun lähes kaikki viittasankarit kuuluvat valkoisten anglosaksisten protestanttien ryhmään.
Lisäksi Valor joutuu kantapään kautta oppimaan sen, ettei maailma toimi oikeasti samalla tavalla kuin hänen sarjakuva-universumissaan, jossa jako hyvään ja pahaan on absoluuttisen selkeä, ja sankari pelastaa joka kerta hätään joutuneen, eikä kukaan kuole (ellei herää välittömästi henkiin jollakin poppakonstilla). Ei etenkään, mikäli on viaton sivustakatsoja, joka joutuu keskelle supersankarien välienselvittelyä.
Lisäksi "Hero Squaredissa" suomitaan myös amerikkalaisen nyky-yhteiskunnan kipupisteitä, mutta tekijät eivät kuitenkaan mene sieltä mistä aita on matalin. Lukija säästyy lapselliselta saarnaukselta tai tarpeettomalta alleviivaamiselta.
Sarjakuvan piirrosjälki toimii sekin, vaikka ei ikimuistoisen upeaa olekaan.
Kolmatta osaa odotellessa...
October 16, 2015
Giffen & DeMatteis, rightly or wrongly, are best known for their humorous comics work, mostly on the JLA titles, and those titles are prominently mentioned in the promo material and blurbs on this graphic novel collection. However, the JLA stuff worked mostly because they took familiar, generally ultra-serious characters (like Batman and Green Lantern) and turned them into fodder for jokes and silly situations. (And it didn't work all that well, as their JLA was occasionally chuckle-inducing but never really laugh-out-loud funny.) Hero Squared tells the story of a Superman-archetype named Captain Valor (he even has a Batman-esque associate called the Grim Knight), whose world, and entire universe, is destroyed, and he finds himself in the next universe over, a world much like our own, without super-heroes, super-villains, or aliens, pursued by his arch-enemy who (maybe) was responsible for his world's destruction. His doppelganger on this world is a slacker filmmaker who spends most of his time playing video games. Hilarity should ensue, but it doesn't. The book is extremely dialogue-heavy, and even when the dialogue tries to be funny, it isn't. And the situations tend to be a bit too grim to lend themselves to much humor. I picked this one up (along with its two sequels) from Boom's sale; here's hoping the other volumes improve on the concept.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews