DIAL H #9
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Art by Alberto Ponticelli & Dan Green
Cover by Brian Bolland
Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99
This title doesn’t even have 200 pulls. Let me repeat that. A book involving:
-A Minotaur that can create labyrinths.
-A Man who can split himself to earn the nickname ‘Centipede’.
-A superhero called ‘The Glimpse’ that can sneak by people where even the artist have difficultly spotting him.
-One of the oddest portrayals of Canada ever…
Barely has any recognition anymore on this site. I’m not condemning anyone on this site nor am I trying to sound disappointed but….Well actually I am disappointed. China Mieville has really turned this series around for the better and it has quickly become one of the most fun titles DC has to offer. He’s also bringing in a great dynamic with the characters here. Nelson and Roxie, although it sounds odd cause of the age difference, have quietly started some romance (or at least a very close friendship) which is rare in a comic now a days. That and ‘The Centipede’ is one of the more unique antagonists in a comic and I would love to see him interact with other heroes in the DCU.
The only thing that really is hurting this book for me is the addition of Alberto Ponticelli. Now I can’t deny I wasn’t a huge fan of his work when I saw him on ‘Frankenstein’, but I was willing to give him a shot here. His art is so rough, and so sketchy, that even with an inker (in Dan Green) he can’t be reigned in on these pages. Now I must admit this issue is an improvement over last month, mainly because not every character goes wonky in each panel. But for every decent looking page with Nelson and Roxie, you get a set of pages involving weird layouts. The opening pages in particular look horrendous and I was so ready to dismiss this entire issue if Ponticelli didn’t redeem himself later. Even with the iffy pencils he does have some nice imagination when it comes to the Dial’s heroes and I did love how he hid ‘The Glimpse’ when introduced.
While I can’t say Alberto Ponticelli has won me over in these two issues, China Mieville is really making 2013 his year. Dial H has quickly become one of the more entertaining titles DC Comics has to offer and this issue in particular was a ball to read. The lack of interest though from both readers and DC in general really upsets me though. We have a goldmine here and it feels like DC is really squandering an opportunity. As long as this is being published I’ll continue to support it and I’ll be damned if this book gets cancelled anytime soon.
Art: 2 - Average
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This book is friggin awesome and it gets zero respect…shame.
I read this through about issue three, but quit b/c I didn’t like the art and felt the story was lacking in that particular Mieville flair I love in his novels. Is there a good jumping on point so I don’t have to get all the back issues?
I’d say you could pick up with issue #6 or #7 and be OK>.. it’s sort of a long continuing arc but you’d still be fine. Mieville seems to have really hit his stride in these last few issues. I am going to be sad when this book gets cancelled. The same old shit is always happening in these vanilla super hero titles…so its refreshing to see something ongoing from DC that is so creative and unique.
I’d give story-5 and the art-4.. great issue!
This has to be the strangest book DC is publishing these days. Which is why it won’t last much longer. A previous incarnation, H-E-R-O, was hilarious, daring, and fun to read…it also didn’t last more than 18 issues.
Assigning Ponticelli to the art is a step in the wrong direction, but I take that as a sign that DC has already given up on the book. I don’t expect the book to last beyond issue 12.
I have been enjoying the parade of strange heroes, and the novel idea that they are all being (partially) transferred to earth from alternate worlds. On the other hand, this book is another clear example of the current editorial plan at DC: every writer is being allowed/encouraged/told(?) to make their stories stretch out for as long as possible.
I quit buying Animal Man and Swamp Thing as soon as I saw the Rotworld crossover on the horizon. There is still no end in sight to that boring mess. Glad I quit when I did. So I disagree that there’s a good jumping on point for anyone who has just discovered Dial H. Anyone who wants to read this book will have to start with #1.