In this issue, Brian K. Vaughan gives us a little bit of the over-the-top political material we've come to expect from this title. He gives us some cool super-heroic action filtered through his intelligent filter of realism. And artists Tony Harris and Tom Feister give us more of the same convincing artwork that blends grounded and fantastic tones, conflicting yet complementing notions that serve as the main character's foundation. But what sets this issue is apart is how much of the protagonist's personal life the writer delivers to his audience. This issue probably gives us a much better idea of what makes Mitchell Hundred tick than any other. After all, if you really want to understand someone, you have to get to know the people who raised him.
It's a typical day in New York Mayor Mitchell Hundred's world. He's taking flack from people he's trying to help and protect. Constituents are pissed at him, extremists are getting in his face and his phone won't stop ringing. One of those phone calls, though, merits some special attention. Hundred gets a weird call from an important woman in his life -- his mother -- and he sets out to track her down and find out what's gone wrong in her world and why he hasn't heard from her in a while.
Harris's eye for realism shines through, as always. One of the visual moments that stood out for me in this issue was the awkwardness of the rescue scene in the opening prologue flashback. The ineptitude of this super-hero makes the notion seem all the more plausible. The art -- including the colors and letters -- makes Mitchell's sci-fi search for his mother really come alive; the scene looks as though it's full of action when it's really just a conversation between the hero and a computer. Mettler's colors also firmly establish different moods and feels for different settings. Dominant colors shift from scene to scene, and the approach not only provides strong visual cues for the reader but enhances or eases tension as required.
Say what you will, but Hundred's interaction with a telecommunications network to track a call was supremely cool, very well executed, both in terms of the script and the art. It was a striking moment, not just because it was dynamic, but because it brought the nature of the hero's powers to life better than any other instance before it. One not only gets a sense of the communication, but of the concentration and intelligence required to wield the power properly.
Even more telling than the call from and encounter with Hundred's mother is his reference to his late father. It says a lot about the man and the decisions he's made in his life, and it spotlights the fact that he always has a good reason for his decisions, even if that reason isn't readily apparent. It's really a brief moment in the book, but it makes it clear that this story is about both parents, not just the protagonist's mother. The frenetic nature of the scene -- with interruptions, both mundane and unusual -- really conveys the hectic nature of the character's job as well. 9/10
