The NEW 52: Dial H #1

DC's NEW 52 just got newer—sort of.  In September DCrevitalized their entire universe on the cusp of the 2011 blockbuster event Flashpoint.  Flash-forward eight months later, after the first bouts of cancellations, six new serials were poised to take their spots—one of which being, Dial H.

Dial H for Hero has bit into the DC Universe a couple of times now.  One of which being in the 1980’s where it hopped around for a bit as a crossover in several DC magazines such as: The Legion of Super-Heroes, Adventure Comics, The New Adventures of Superboy, and Superman.  And, most noticeably, a short-lived run in 2003 titled H.E.R.O., which only ran for twenty-two issues.

The premise of the Dial H for Hero franchise is as follows: a mysterious and magical telephone booth transforms the ‘boothee’ into a random superhero upon the condition that they dial ‘4376,’ otherwise represented as the word ‘HERO.’

China Mieville begins by introducing readers to Dial H’s titular character, Nelse—an overweight, late twenty something, struggling in a city that eats up slackers and do-gooders all the same.  Nelse is bickering with his friend Darren when he finally stomps off to leave Nelse to his invitational-only pity party.  In a pang of guilt Nelse chases after his buddy to only catch up with him as he is being mugged.  Trying to get to a telephone to dial for help he stumbles into a phone booth and in a panic dials a number—any number—and suddenly Nelsetransforms into—Boy Chimney!

Boy Chimney is a macabre, Jack Skellington-esque character whose powers include: increased reflexes and speed, poison gas, smoke manipulation, bullet-proof skin, smoked-based clairvoyance, and transportation by smoke.  Mateus Santolouco’s rendering of Boy Chimney was superb, and the pages including the unusual hero were my favorite of the issue.

After saving his friend and taking him to the hospital, Boy Chimney collapses back to Nelse upon a rooftop in Littleton and begins piecing together the last few hours of events. 

The issue then peaks as Nelse finds out that his hospitalized friend has been conducting some illegal business on the side, owes money to some very nasty individuals, and that is the truth to why he was roughed-up in the first place.  In an effort to protect his friend, Nelse heads back to the phone booth and transforms yet again, except under the guise of Captain Lachrymose!—an emo clad hero that draws upon the most traumatic events of a person’s life for strength and power.

Dial H definitely has a very strong Vertigo vibe to it, which translates well.  There is a slight reference to the Green Lantern, but other than that Dial H feels completely outside of mainstream DC Universe.  The plot is excellently composed and will hopefully catch the subscription piles of readers. Santolouco’s art is gritty and dark; Littleton almost has a ‘what-if’ Gotham City had no Batman kind of an atmosphere to it, so the more eccentric and morally ambiguous heroes such as Boy Chimney and Captain Lachrymose fit in perfectly.

I give Dial H #1 four-and-a-half stars out of five and the Schultz must-read stamp of approval.

(SOURCE: The NEW 52: Dial H #1)

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