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Dial H (2012- ) #1 (2000)

by China Miéville(Favorite Author)

3.62 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

review 1: The "DC's best book in its new 52 initiative" quote in the cover of Dial H may seem like an exaggeration, Miéville's enrapturing/disturbing words and Santolouco's dynamic and colourful visuals will not let go until you are fully absorbed by this remake of the tale of a mysterious object that temporarily transforms seemingly ordinary people into instant heroes. The superpowers they find themselves bestowed with range from the bizarre, to the outlandish, and even the truly epic ones. Of course, "with great power comes great responsibility", and the main characters finds himself immersed in a world of techno-magic and plane-crossing beings that is anything but pretty and safe. The choice of heroes is also very brave and intelligente, as they are neither rich or physically fi... moret, but they find in themselves the call to do heroic deeds, even if they also must face the challenge of becoming absorbed/distorted by the heroic personality that they turn into. As a whole, the first volume of Dial H is an extremely intelligent and daring mainstream comic.
review 2: In China Mieville’s Dial H: Volume 1: Into You, Nelson Jent discovers a magical telephone which turns him into a broad base of different heroes. The story begins as Nelson, an overweight loser, chases down his best friend in order to apologize. Though he can barely move after recovering from a heart attack, Nelson knows he must catch Darren, since he is the last person in his life who has not been alienated. What he finds is Darren being attacked, and when Nelson tries to call for help on a payphone, he becomes the hero he was wishing for. As the tale unravels, Nelson discovers that another hero also possesses the power of the telephone, but that there is a great evil hunting the heroes and the phones which transform them.Dial H is not a new series, but is another revived collection from the New 52. The superheroes created by the dial are often silly, like Emo-looking Captain Lachrymose, whose superpower seems to be making people cry, and Chief Mighty Arrow, a stereotypical Native American who could be straight from a John Wayne Indian movie. The beginning of the volume was terribly confusing, as it was not immediately clear that Nelson had turned into Boy Chimney, the first hero, or why he had turned into the character, or even what the entire point of the story was. Now, please do not think that this reader is adverse to struggling with concepts or complicated origin stories. However, it does seem to this reader that the more complicated the plot device being used, the more simplistically it could be presented. Whether the fault is with the narrative, the panels, or even simply the internal dialogue of Nelson, it would have made the first half of the volume significantly more enjoyable to have a better idea of what was going on. That said, while the first volume was not bad, it is unclear how the story will sustain itself. The backstory and history of the dial has promise, but where exactly is the plot heading? Not yet sure. Which might actually create suspense for the readers, and in a good way. less

Download links for: Dial H (2012- ) #1

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