This is probably the first that many of my readers have heard of Concrete, because it's a title that has not been seen in quite some time. Concrete was one of the big creator-owned successes early on for Dark Horse, though, and the book's return now is probably a breath of fresh air for long-time indy fans. I've read bits and pieces of Concrete here and there, and while I definitely see the appeal, it's never connected with me on the same level as, say, Sin City or Hellboy, to name a couple of Dark Horse's other notable successes in that arena. Which is not to deny the basic goodness of Concrete, or how good it is to see Chadwick bringing it out again. This first issue is very accessible for new readers as well as letting longtime readers jump right back in, and it features the same mix of introspection, political and environmental examination and character work that made Concrete compelling the first time around. Chadwick's hero, and indeed Chadwick's writing style, sometimes gets too introspective and even preachy to me, but there's no denying that this is thoughtful, entertaining comics with some very attractive artwork.
Chadwick starts off Human Dilemma not with a giant splash page of aliens fighting heroes or any other kind of shocking moment, but with Concrete, alone in his apartment, examining his outstretched hand. That's as good an indication as any of the kind of book Concrete is, and it serves notice right up front as to what readers can expect. Over the next few pages, Concrete ponders his life and his strange alien form, thinking the same kind of borderline depressive thoughts with illusory depth that consume so many of us when we're alone. The thought balloons and coherent thoughts to be found in them struck me as somewhat old school, and may not go over so well with the fans raised on narrative captions and dialogue balloons alone, but it also serves the isolating, lonely mood just perfectly.
Lest you get the idea that The Human Dilemma #1 is all about Concrete thinking deep thoughts, though, the book does feature some pretty interesting plot turns and twists. The character and concept at the center of this miniseries is the head of a major pizza chain who wants to start a foundation to encourage people to remain childless in order to battle over-population. It's a controversial issue, but Chadwick handles it well, having Maureen (another Concrete supporting castmember) articulate the arguments against it as well as the pizza tycoon articulates the arguments for it. One would have to read really hard to guess at where Chadwick stands on the issue, and that kind of separation between author and political topics is generally a good thing when dealing with controversial topics.
Concrete is unabashedly liberal in many ways, and it's not hard to guess Chadwick's views on environmentalism, as he punctuates the story with factoids about environmental damage, but the presentation of these topics is very natural to the character and very much inoffensive. Though Chadwick's writing can come off as preachy at times, most notably when Concrete is thinking to himself, in general the style of Concrete is to present information and let the reader decide how to process it.
Even the political aspects of the book aren't the sole focus, and Chadwick is an accomplished character writer as well. If you've never "met" Larry Munro before, it'll still be easy to relate to his nervousness and the familiar (but not in a bad way) comedy that comes in his flustered attempts to propose to his girlfriend, as well as to get what a big deal this is from the way Concrete talks about him. The scene in which a disturbed, or at least socially awkward, man confronts a pizza delivery driver is entertaining writing, even as it points to a potential plot point down the line. And Concrete himself is a rare creature in comics, a personality that is somewhat quiet, sensitive and thoughtful. This goes beyond the obvious "gentle man in powerful body" cliche, and Concrete, despite his inhuman appearance, is one of the more human characters in comics.
Then there's the artwork. I've honestly never warmed much to Chadwick outside of Concrete, generally finding his work solid but not much better. On Concrete, though, he really shines, giving emotion and reality to the inhuman, expressionless character of Concrete as well as delivering thoroughly real and believable backdrops and human characters. Particularly noteworthy are the scenes between Larry and Astra, as Chadwick captures the nervous energy of Larry throughout the proposal and really gives a lot of punch to the tender sequence near the end of the issue. 9/10
