Those unfamiliar with previous Hero Squared comics should be warned: this first issue of the ongoing series doesn't read like a first issue. However, Giffen and Dematteis have provided a thoroughly accessible script that gives the reader everything s/he needs to know to follow the plot. But of course the plot isn't the main appeal here. Rather, it's the sharp banter one finds in the script. I was also pleased to find that Joe Abraham's linework has gotten much tighter, casting off that loose, sketchy approach that made the art look rushed.
Captain Valor's universe has been destroyed by Caliginous, his ex-girlfriend turned mad super-villain. The hero (and villain) have now travelled to a parallel dimension where their counterparts are rather ordinary beings: Milo and Stephie. As if Milo's life weren't complicated enough with Captain Valor's constant presence, his idiotic decision to sleep with Caliginous is bound to bite him in the ass. And it's probably going to happen sooner rather than later, as Calignous tracks Stephie down and tries to get to know her mirror-self a bit better.
Abraham faces a tough challenge when bringing these Giffen/DeMatteis stories to life -- he's going to be compared with Kevin Maguire every time. Though he doesn't ape Maguire's style, he does manage to meet the challenge pretty well this time around. I like the more elongated approach he takes to the figures, but he adds a greater level of detail and definition to the art this time that enables it to stand up to scrutiny.
The bulk of this issue features thoroughly amusing dialogue about the impossibility of the super-hero genre elements combined with an upbeat, Abbott-and-Costello-esque back-and-forth about the characters' everyday foibles. It's a whole lot of fun, and while we've seen this sort of fare from these writers before, it doesn't get old. Wisely, the writers balance the goofiness of the first two acts with a poignancy in the final scene in which Captain Valor learns that the "real world" in which he finds himself doesn't obey the laws of the comic-book world from which he hails. It's a nice moment that spotlights an unusual creature's loss of innocence.
Boom Studios has one key problem with its standard-sized comics: price. Their regular comics are a buck more per issue than those offered by competitors, and it's bound to alienate some readers. As much fun as Giffen and DeMatteis's super-hero spoof scripts are, there's similar fare out there that's cheaper and just as entertaining. I hope as the publisher builds its reader base it's able to bring the price down. Then again, Boom (and IDW Publishing, for that matter) may have market research and experience that demonstrates that this price point is more profitable for them. 7/10
