Learn What Makes A Hero In Dial H For Hero #7
by Tony Thornley
One of the most prominent and inspiring messages of Dial H for Hero has been that any one can be a hero when their heart is in the right place. It’s only fitting that Dial H for Hero #7 shows us how four heroes can live up to the title…
Sam Humphries, Joe Quinones, Colleen Doran, Michael Avon Oeming, Erica Henderson, Stacey Lee, Jordan Gibson, and Dave Sharpe return to Metropolis for the second arc’s kickoff.
As the crisis in Metropolis from the last few issues unfold, we take a step back and meet five of the heroes that were born on that day- Sir Prize, Phantasma, Lucy the Monster Hunter, Futuristic Detective Flamingo, and the mysterious Guardian Angel. As each hero try to meet their individual goals, they try to figure out who the Guardian Angel is, which may shake them all to their core.
Each of the four stories have a different goal. Humphries clearly wants to show that gaining these powers could have different results for each new character. However, just because everyone in Metropolis who wanted them has superpowers doesn’t mean those powers will solve their problems. That manifests in different ways- such as Sir Prize getting not what he wanted but what he needed, and Lucy’s horrifying and ambiguous fate.
Best of all, this story is an artistic tour-de-force. These five line artists are all stellar, and because each of them have wildly different styles it helps their shorts land in a unique way for each chapter. Each chapter is great in its own way, but I have to say my favorite is Henderson’s as she and Humphries team to create the most unorthodox and disturbing part of the issue. Also, the biggest star here is Gibson, who colors the prologue and epilogue then all four stories in different ways- Doran’s is fairly straightforward comics-style color art, Oeming’s is very pop art, Henderson’s beautifully painted, and Lee’s is bright manga and anime inspired colors. It shows how good Gibson is and what an important contribution to the story a great color artist is.
This is a perfect launch to the second arc, taking a bigger view of the story. It’s what has made the story great so far and I can’t wait to see what this second arc has in store for us.
Dial H For Hero #7 is available now from DC Comics.
