I've haven't read Gladiator, the Philip Wylie novel that serves as the inspiration for this comic book. I really didn't know what to expect from this title at all. I was looking forward to seeing Russ Heath's work again, but Howard Chaykin's association with the book led me to believe it would be a sexually charged , intensly violent yarn. Those expectations proved to be completely off base, as Chaykin presents a different, darker spin on the origin story of an archetypal Superman character. Social and personal problems are front and center here, and there's an intriguing balance between grounded elements to which the reader can relate and more disturbing ideas that would be impossible in the real world.
Decades ago in an average American town, Abednago Danner makes an amazing scientific breakthrough, discovering a serum that can grant great strength to test subjects exposed to it at the embryonic stage of development. When his God-fearing wife announces she is pregnant with their first child, he sees an opportunity for a human test. Not long after Hugo Danner is born, his strength and invulnerability become apparent, and his parents teach him how to keep his special nature a secret. But as he approaches puberty, Hugo yearns to let loose, and his mistreatment at school sparks a tiny flame of anger within him.
Russ Heath's art is all-too rare a treat these days, and the classic artist doesn't disappoint here. He captures the all-American tone of the setting and peripheral characters perfectly while maintaining an edgier, darker tension at the same time. His art here evokes an easy comparison to the work of the legendary Joe Kubert. Heath captures Hugo's youth quite well. I also appreciated the fact that the female characters aren't portrayed as shapely ideals; Hugo's mother is quite matronly here. It makes for a more believable and credible story.
Chaykin successfully conveys the tumuluous nature of youth here. Hugo's youthful exuberance shines through, not just in the use of his powers but his attitude in general. He's an innocent, but there's a dark tension in the notion of so much power in the hands of someone with so much learning to do. Seeing Hugo's innocence corrupted by his power is quietly disturbing, and it gets the reader involved in the story, hungry to learn what comes next.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story is the conflict between Abednago's all-emcompassing dedication to scientific discovery and his wife pious devotion to God. This idealogical conflict unfolds subtly in the story; there is no overt butting of heads between husband and wife. I also appreciated how Chaykin portrays the mother to be a strictly religious person, but one who guides her son out of love and refuses to abide by church directives blindly. She doesn't care what others think of her; she's devoted to her faith not so others can see it, but because she believes, pure and simple. 9/10
