Review — Huck’s Optimism Wins The Day In ‘Huck: Big Bad World’ #3, But Not Always
by Olly MacNamee
Summary
Huck and his mother continue their road trip across America in search of a missing superhuman in ‘Huck: Big Bad World’ #3. And in doing so, he gets to meet other superpowered folk like him. But not all of them are willing to listen to him, and would rather speak with their fists.
Overall
9/10Huck and his mother continue to track across America in pursuit of a missing woman, giving readers the chance to tag along with him and meet super-powered people who all have one thing in common. They too drank of the “magic soup” that a witch living in a wood gave them. And now they too have powers. But, not many want to share these powers as they see them more as a hindrance than a gift.
As road trips go, this is one of the more bizarre, but also one of the more optimistic. Wherever Huck goes, his optimism seems to infect others. His small-town homeliness is endearing, but not to everyone he meets. And soon, he is chasing someone who leads him to… well, I won’t be telling. You’ll need to pick up this week’s Huck: Big Bad World #3 to find out. It does make for a great cliffhanger, though.
Mark Millar’s whimsical hero is something of a throwback to the Golden Age of comics. Intentionally so. But, Huck also represents an America that no longer exists. An optimism that has long been drained from its shores for so many reasons. However, it doesn’t mean to say it shouldn’t exist. Huck, like Superman, is the best of humanity in one burly body. And his hopeful, cheery outlook helps drive this series, even when he isn’t the main focus.
Even Rafael Alburquerque’s artwork feels like it’s from another era, with characters looking timeless in their appearance, aided and abetted by Dave McCaig’s colours seeming to be watercolour paint. Jack in his hat, their travelling companion and the reason they’re on the road in the first place, could easily be from the ’30s. It all screams small-town America. And that’s not a bad thing when most superhero stories are urban in their backdrops and urbane in their attitude. This more gentle, rural hero is a side of America often overlooked in comics. Albeit a rather mythologised version of rural America. But then, what are superhero stories anyway but a mythologising of America, past and present?
Huck is an innocent lummox of a man, whose upbeat persona is his real superpower. And this series a delightful distraction from the usual grim and gritty comic books.
Huck: Big Bad World #3 is out now from Dark Horse Comics.
