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Dial H TPB #1
Dial H, Vol. 1: Into You
What would happen if you discovered a powerful artifact that turned you into a super hero? What if that device threatened the entire world? These are just some of the questions asked in this thrilling and inventive storyline written by the bestselling, award-winning novelist China Mieville!
168 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2012
18 people are currently reading
1139 people want to read
About the author
China Miéville
160 books15.6k followersA British "fantastic fiction" writer. He is fond of describing his work as "weird fiction" (after early 20th century pulp and horror writers such as H. P. Lovecraft), and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird who consciously attempt to move fantasy away from commercial, genre clichés of Tolkien epigons. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party. He has stood for the House of Commons for the Socialist Alliance, and published a book on Marxism and international law.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
June 17, 2019
WhatTheFuckWasThis?!
I've never read any of the older Dial H stuff, so I went into this with no preconceived notions as to what it was about.
And once I finished this, I still had no idea what it was about.
An out of shape loserish guy tries to save his friend from thugs, by dialing for help in a phone booth...and turns into a superhero.
Boy Chimney!
In case you were wondering, he chokes out the bad guys with his noxious chimney smoke.
But the best part of this magical phone booth (or Dial) is that you get to rotate through a seemingly never ending line-up of heroes.
Kitschy or Lame? You decide...
Iron Snail
Cock-A-Hoop
And my personal favorite...
Bumper Carla
As you may have guessed, part of the appeal of the book is supposed to be the odd flavor of wacky 'superheroes' that the Dial throws out. As in, some are badass, but most are pretty silly to look at.
Fine, fine, fine. That's sort of an interesting concept, and it could work.
Unfortunately, it didn't work for me.
You sort of get tossed into the story with the main character, and explanations are few and far between.
And that, by itself, isn't really the problem.
No.
The problem I had with this one was the insanely cryptic/childish voice of the all-powerful cosmic being, the cobbled together feeling of the Rogues Galley, and the sensation I had while reading...that the plot was only half-formed.
In the end, there's a single issue story that answers one question, but it was too little, too late.
I guess part of the reason I didn't enjoy it more, probably had something to do with the fact that the whole story hinges on Telephone Engineering.
I thought the whole thing was sketchy.
Then again, if this hadn't been my first experience with this title, I might feel differently.
I'm not going to say I'll NEVER read more about this shit!, but, at this point, I'm not very impressed.
Also reviewed for
I've never read any of the older Dial H stuff, so I went into this with no preconceived notions as to what it was about.
And once I finished this, I still had no idea what it was about.
An out of shape loserish guy tries to save his friend from thugs, by dialing for help in a phone booth...and turns into a superhero.
Boy Chimney!
In case you were wondering, he chokes out the bad guys with his noxious chimney smoke.
But the best part of this magical phone booth (or Dial) is that you get to rotate through a seemingly never ending line-up of heroes.
Kitschy or Lame? You decide...
Iron Snail
Cock-A-Hoop
And my personal favorite...
Bumper Carla
As you may have guessed, part of the appeal of the book is supposed to be the odd flavor of wacky 'superheroes' that the Dial throws out. As in, some are badass, but most are pretty silly to look at.
Fine, fine, fine. That's sort of an interesting concept, and it could work.
Unfortunately, it didn't work for me.
You sort of get tossed into the story with the main character, and explanations are few and far between.
And that, by itself, isn't really the problem.
No.
The problem I had with this one was the insanely cryptic/childish voice of the all-powerful cosmic being, the cobbled together feeling of the Rogues Galley, and the sensation I had while reading...that the plot was only half-formed.
In the end, there's a single issue story that answers one question, but it was too little, too late.
I guess part of the reason I didn't enjoy it more, probably had something to do with the fact that the whole story hinges on Telephone Engineering.
I thought the whole thing was sketchy.
Then again, if this hadn't been my first experience with this title, I might feel differently.
I'm not going to say I'll NEVER read more about this shit!, but, at this point, I'm not very impressed.
Also reviewed for
March 29, 2016
A few days ago, Nelson was just another out-of-shape guy without much going for him. And he still is, really, but now the H-Dial (4376 spells... HERO!) has transformed him into some random superhero, and he has teamed up with his best friend's murderer to protect an old lady superhero from a supervillain and a very angry void... If you like your superheroics a bit on the quirky, less-than-divine side, China Miéville's Dial H just might be for you.
May 24, 2024
I remember loving, as a kid, a comic book called “Dial ‘H’ For Hero”. It was about these two kids who, whenever their town needed a superhero, they dialed an old rotary phone that would magically turn them into a superhero. They’d be weird superheroes, too, with powers that were kind of ridiculous, like shooting ketchup and mustard from their fingers, or being able to turn into smoke or inflating into a giant beach ball and bouncing everywhere. And they’d never be the same superhero twice. I guess that was the charm and appeal of the comic book.
Well, apparently, in 2012, DC Comics brought the title back with the writing talents of China Mieville, an award-winning British science fiction/fantasy author. Potential goldmine, right?
Here’s my problem: best-selling novelists who try their hands at writing for comic books don’t always do well in the transition. Jodi Picoult, Jonathon Lethem, Brad Meltzer, and even Stephen King have all written comic books, to varying degrees of success. Generally, I have found that novel-writing is a very different animal than comic book writing. Sometimes, what makes a great novel doesn’t always make a great comic book, and vice versa.
That said, Mieville’s “Dial H” is, at the very least, intriguing. It’s also darkly humorous, especially with the weird array of superheroes. My favorites: Boy Chimney, a Jack Skellington look-alike with a long top hat that belches smoke; Captain Lachrymose, a sad superhero whose superpower is to incapacitate villains by bringing to mind their most tragic and heart-breaking memories; and Cock-a-Hoop, a giant hula hoop with the head and wings of a chicken. There’s a helluva lot more, too.
I won’t bore you with a plot synopsis, because, Really? There’s a superhero named Cock-a-Hoop that is literally a hula hoop with the head and wings of a chicken. Do you even care about the story?
As weird as this is, I will probably read the second volume.
Well, apparently, in 2012, DC Comics brought the title back with the writing talents of China Mieville, an award-winning British science fiction/fantasy author. Potential goldmine, right?
Here’s my problem: best-selling novelists who try their hands at writing for comic books don’t always do well in the transition. Jodi Picoult, Jonathon Lethem, Brad Meltzer, and even Stephen King have all written comic books, to varying degrees of success. Generally, I have found that novel-writing is a very different animal than comic book writing. Sometimes, what makes a great novel doesn’t always make a great comic book, and vice versa.
That said, Mieville’s “Dial H” is, at the very least, intriguing. It’s also darkly humorous, especially with the weird array of superheroes. My favorites: Boy Chimney, a Jack Skellington look-alike with a long top hat that belches smoke; Captain Lachrymose, a sad superhero whose superpower is to incapacitate villains by bringing to mind their most tragic and heart-breaking memories; and Cock-a-Hoop, a giant hula hoop with the head and wings of a chicken. There’s a helluva lot more, too.
I won’t bore you with a plot synopsis, because, Really? There’s a superhero named Cock-a-Hoop that is literally a hula hoop with the head and wings of a chicken. Do you even care about the story?
As weird as this is, I will probably read the second volume.
April 16, 2015
Nelson Jent is an out-of-shape, unemployed schlub who discovers a mysterious phone booth with a rotary dial in an alley near his flat. When he dials a specific number – H-E-R-O (the letters are underneath the numbers) – he transforms into… well, any number of random whacky “superheroes” for a short time before reverting back to his normal self! With his new powers he’s going to get revenge on the bad guys who killed his buddy.
Dial H isn’t a very good comic but I didn’t hate it. One of my issues with DC’s New 52 has been a lack of variety in the cast and if there’s one thing Dial H has plenty to spare, it’s variety. I liked the gothic Boy Chimney, the ultimate emo Captain Lachrymose, the utterly brilliant Iron Snail, and Tugboat – a dude with tugboats for hands! Those are great characters – it’s just a shame they were poorly written so the only memorable thing about them were their appearances.
The Brian Bolland covers are amazing and I liked the David Lapham-drawn issue where casual racism in older comics is addressed after Nelse transforms into Chief Mighty Arrow, who looks and soundsheap big exactly as you’d expect (also I would’ve loved to have seen David Lapham script a New 52 book – missed a trick, DC, unless he turned you down).
China Mieville is also an award-winning sci-fi novelist whose stories are set in, and are about, the modern urban environment, which is where this comic takes place – the dingy, forgotten parts of cities – so it seems like a good fit. But here’s the thing I’ve noticed: novelists do not make good comics writers (and vice versa – I dare you to try and read some of Alan Moore’s prose!) with very rare exceptions – arguably Neil Gaiman is the best example of this though Warren Ellis’ novels are pretty good too.
Mieville just isn’t experienced enough to think like a comics writer – the two mediums of novels and comics aren’t interchangeable at all. And the irony is that a novelist known for producing imaginative fantasy stories is given a comic full of strange characters and then places them inside the most stereotypical comic book story you could have.
The variety in this comic doesn’t go beyond the surface level. Beneath the wild and crazy characters is a tediously generic revenge plot: main character vs gangsters. Then it’s main character vs super-powered villains: a lizard man, another forgettable baddie, and a giant formless void called Abyss; main character has to stop them.
It doesn’t help that the main character, Nelse, is just too broadly written. He’s a stand-in for the average comics reader to project upon, so much so that he doesn’t really have a character to get invested in. I like that he’s the total opposite of the cut dudes who usually star in superhero comics but really the only interesting thing about him is that he uses the phone to transform into these bizarre creations. Which doesn’t even make him interesting really; the object is instead what’s interesting – it could be anyone dialling! His story is almost non-existent and doesn’t go beyond avenging his friend. Afterwards he just decides to continue dialling and transforming into random “superheroes”. Nothing about this guy is compelling!
If, like me, you’re a new reader to the series and haven’t read the Silver Age Dial H for Hero series, you’re probably going to be wondering how the hell a dial can transform someone into a series of superheroes, where it comes from, and what it all means. But there’s no help here. That’s fine, I don’t need everything explained all at once, though holding back this information does keep the reader from understanding and engaging more fully with the comic – it’s like we’re being held back at arm’s length the entire time.
I enjoyed the quirkiness of the premise and the imaginative characters in this book but the writing is really lacking, heavily bringing down the overall quality of the comic. Dial U for Unimpressed!
Dial H isn’t a very good comic but I didn’t hate it. One of my issues with DC’s New 52 has been a lack of variety in the cast and if there’s one thing Dial H has plenty to spare, it’s variety. I liked the gothic Boy Chimney, the ultimate emo Captain Lachrymose, the utterly brilliant Iron Snail, and Tugboat – a dude with tugboats for hands! Those are great characters – it’s just a shame they were poorly written so the only memorable thing about them were their appearances.
The Brian Bolland covers are amazing and I liked the David Lapham-drawn issue where casual racism in older comics is addressed after Nelse transforms into Chief Mighty Arrow, who looks and sounds
China Mieville is also an award-winning sci-fi novelist whose stories are set in, and are about, the modern urban environment, which is where this comic takes place – the dingy, forgotten parts of cities – so it seems like a good fit. But here’s the thing I’ve noticed: novelists do not make good comics writers (and vice versa – I dare you to try and read some of Alan Moore’s prose!) with very rare exceptions – arguably Neil Gaiman is the best example of this though Warren Ellis’ novels are pretty good too.
Mieville just isn’t experienced enough to think like a comics writer – the two mediums of novels and comics aren’t interchangeable at all. And the irony is that a novelist known for producing imaginative fantasy stories is given a comic full of strange characters and then places them inside the most stereotypical comic book story you could have.
The variety in this comic doesn’t go beyond the surface level. Beneath the wild and crazy characters is a tediously generic revenge plot: main character vs gangsters. Then it’s main character vs super-powered villains: a lizard man, another forgettable baddie, and a giant formless void called Abyss; main character has to stop them.
It doesn’t help that the main character, Nelse, is just too broadly written. He’s a stand-in for the average comics reader to project upon, so much so that he doesn’t really have a character to get invested in. I like that he’s the total opposite of the cut dudes who usually star in superhero comics but really the only interesting thing about him is that he uses the phone to transform into these bizarre creations. Which doesn’t even make him interesting really; the object is instead what’s interesting – it could be anyone dialling! His story is almost non-existent and doesn’t go beyond avenging his friend. Afterwards he just decides to continue dialling and transforming into random “superheroes”. Nothing about this guy is compelling!
If, like me, you’re a new reader to the series and haven’t read the Silver Age Dial H for Hero series, you’re probably going to be wondering how the hell a dial can transform someone into a series of superheroes, where it comes from, and what it all means. But there’s no help here. That’s fine, I don’t need everything explained all at once, though holding back this information does keep the reader from understanding and engaging more fully with the comic – it’s like we’re being held back at arm’s length the entire time.
I enjoyed the quirkiness of the premise and the imaginative characters in this book but the writing is really lacking, heavily bringing down the overall quality of the comic. Dial U for Unimpressed!
October 21, 2018
I have no clue what the fuck was happening in this half the time.
So some fat dude is being made fun of by his best friend. His friend leaves, gets attacked by some bad guys, friend dials on a payphone and poof, becomes a hero! Then every single time he uses the payphone, or the dial itself, to spell out hero, he becomes one. Then some creature, woman, mask thingy comes and tells him they must fight together, however some gangsters are hunting him down and...yeah. Lost? me too.
Good: The start is interesting and the art is solid.
Bad: The storyline is honestly nonsense half the time, the characters talk weird to each other, the pacing is all over the place. I also didn't like any of the characters and the ending...what the fuck was that?
Yeah. This is a big old mess. Not the worst thing I ever read but it came off as mostly nonsense with the exception of the art. A 1.5 out of 5.
So some fat dude is being made fun of by his best friend. His friend leaves, gets attacked by some bad guys, friend dials on a payphone and poof, becomes a hero! Then every single time he uses the payphone, or the dial itself, to spell out hero, he becomes one. Then some creature, woman, mask thingy comes and tells him they must fight together, however some gangsters are hunting him down and...yeah. Lost? me too.
Good: The start is interesting and the art is solid.
Bad: The storyline is honestly nonsense half the time, the characters talk weird to each other, the pacing is all over the place. I also didn't like any of the characters and the ending...what the fuck was that?
Yeah. This is a big old mess. Not the worst thing I ever read but it came off as mostly nonsense with the exception of the art. A 1.5 out of 5.
June 11, 2013
I don't doubt that I would have completely overlooked Dial H if it weren't written by Miéville. But his name was enough to interest in me in what is, frankly, a niche comic to begin with. I know absolutely nothing about the older versions of the concept, so I came in without any preconceived notions. But what you get is pretty much exactly what you would expect to see if you were told that Miéville would be trying his hand at creating superheroes. And the best issue in the collection by far is the one where he tries his hand at examining how traditional superheroes can be casually sexist and racist.
That said, the overarching story is kind of weak, and not really compelling. And the lead, Nelson, is so much of a fanboy's dream that he just isn't terribly compelling for me to read. So while there is indeed some real promise for interesting stories here, it's the way that they're connected that isn't doing it for me. I'd say this is a 3.5 star effort, and I'm hopeful that there might be some growth later on.
That said, the overarching story is kind of weak, and not really compelling. And the lead, Nelson, is so much of a fanboy's dream that he just isn't terribly compelling for me to read. So while there is indeed some real promise for interesting stories here, it's the way that they're connected that isn't doing it for me. I'd say this is a 3.5 star effort, and I'm hopeful that there might be some growth later on.
January 22, 2020
This is a pretty complicated comic and writer China Mieville just sort of throws his audience in the deep end without much by way of explanation, piling weirdness on weirdness. Just about the point where I couldn't take it any more, things slowed down a bit, got just a bit less weird, and some explanation was proffered, at which point, I decided, "Hey, I kind of like this!" The closest comparison I have is to the series Xombi, which had a couple of short-lived runs under the DC mantle, and was similarly weird and similarly short on explanations for its weirdness--and I loved that title. Basically, the story follows a young, out-of-shape guy who stumbles across an H-Dial (basically the dial off an old rotary telephone), which, when a certain number is dialed, grants the user the temporary use of the powers of some random superhero. Some of the heroes that make appearances include: Kid Chimney, the Iron Snail, Captain Lachrymose, and Bumper Carla. Nelson, our main character, decides to use these powers to help out a friend of his, in debt to a local hood, and inadvertently stumbles onto something much larger than the local criminal underground. The book is very strange and, at times, quite funny, with a standalone issue that flashes back to the ancient world to show us that these dials have been present in one form or another throughout history (in this case, it's basically a giant stone sundial). I really enjoyed this quite a bit and will definitely look for further volumes in the series. **ARC provided by Net Galley.
July 9, 2018
Interesting concept. From reading other reviews, I understand this is a revamp of a showcase comic from years ago.
In this carnation, we have as our protagonist Joe Average. Joe witnesses a crime, tries to intervene, and is targeted for violence in return. He finds an old rotary-dial pay phone in an alley and attempts to get help. He instead becomes some kind of weird superhero who stops the crime. But, to a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, and our Everyman gets sucked deeper and deeper every time he used "The Dial" to gain powers.
In this carnation, we have as our protagonist Joe Average. Joe witnesses a crime, tries to intervene, and is targeted for violence in return. He finds an old rotary-dial pay phone in an alley and attempts to get help. He instead becomes some kind of weird superhero who stops the crime. But, to a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, and our Everyman gets sucked deeper and deeper every time he used "The Dial" to gain powers.
September 5, 2014
So yeah, I can see why this one was cancelled.
Aside from my occasional confusion this was incredibly boring. The writing was disjointed, I didn't care about any of the characters, and the hero transformations where pathetic.
A fat loser (fat by comic book standards) discovers a magical phone box...
No, not that one, unfortunately.
When he dials H-E-R-O he is transformed into some random reject 'hero' for a few hours. These characters are ridiculous, not funny ridiculous or interestingly weird, just stupid. It is devoid of humor or irony which is its greatest downfall.
Other characters were not properly introduced and there was no frame of reference as time progressed and locations changed. The main character's voice was strange and had a broken clumsy aspect.
I did not finish this volume but did read the first 3 issues and decided to call it quits in the 4th issue because I felt that I should have been at least interested by that point if not invested and I just wasn't.
Aside from my occasional confusion this was incredibly boring. The writing was disjointed, I didn't care about any of the characters, and the hero transformations where pathetic.
A fat loser (fat by comic book standards) discovers a magical phone box...
No, not that one, unfortunately.
When he dials H-E-R-O he is transformed into some random reject 'hero' for a few hours. These characters are ridiculous, not funny ridiculous or interestingly weird, just stupid. It is devoid of humor or irony which is its greatest downfall.
Other characters were not properly introduced and there was no frame of reference as time progressed and locations changed. The main character's voice was strange and had a broken clumsy aspect.
I did not finish this volume but did read the first 3 issues and decided to call it quits in the 4th issue because I felt that I should have been at least interested by that point if not invested and I just wasn't.
January 2, 2021
I have finely found that most elusive of China Miéville's creatures -- a story that disappoints.
Never before have I closed a cover on a Miéville book and felt as let down as I did finishing . Did I miss something? Was it failure on my part as a reader? Am I becoming too jaded? Nope, nope & nope.
No, I think it all boils down to being both a rehash and dumping ground for Miéville. The rehashing is everywhere, but the rehashing that bothered me most was in the dialogue boxes of "Abyss" -- the big existential baddy of the first story arc -- because it was a cheaper, dirtier, less coherent and far less effective version of Perdido Street Station's Weaver. Where the Weaver was surprising and energizing, Abyss was an unearned interjection and utterly draining.
Then there is the dumping ground of weird and steampunky characters that feel like rejects from New Crobuzon or the weird Englands of Un Lun Dun, King Rat, and Kraken. Now maybe some of these or none of these characters were figments of Miéville's imagination. Perhaps they came from previous incarnations of Dial H from D.C. ages past, but shit like "Boy Chimney" (my favourite of the bunch), "Captain Lachrymose," and "Iron Snail" all feel an awful lot like Miéville creations. And those three were the good ones. Ugh.
The New 52 Dial H is Miéville, so I will go on until I finish reading his run, but at the moment I am regretting my foray into graphic Miéville. I hope it gets better, but I fear I am going to have to wait for A Spectre Haunting Europe before I get back to my usual Miéville love.
Never before have I closed a cover on a Miéville book and felt as let down as I did finishing . Did I miss something? Was it failure on my part as a reader? Am I becoming too jaded? Nope, nope & nope.
No, I think it all boils down to being both a rehash and dumping ground for Miéville. The rehashing is everywhere, but the rehashing that bothered me most was in the dialogue boxes of "Abyss" -- the big existential baddy of the first story arc -- because it was a cheaper, dirtier, less coherent and far less effective version of Perdido Street Station's Weaver. Where the Weaver was surprising and energizing, Abyss was an unearned interjection and utterly draining.
Then there is the dumping ground of weird and steampunky characters that feel like rejects from New Crobuzon or the weird Englands of Un Lun Dun, King Rat, and Kraken. Now maybe some of these or none of these characters were figments of Miéville's imagination. Perhaps they came from previous incarnations of Dial H from D.C. ages past, but shit like "Boy Chimney" (my favourite of the bunch), "Captain Lachrymose," and "Iron Snail" all feel an awful lot like Miéville creations. And those three were the good ones. Ugh.
The New 52 Dial H is Miéville, so I will go on until I finish reading his run, but at the moment I am regretting my foray into graphic Miéville. I hope it gets better, but I fear I am going to have to wait for A Spectre Haunting Europe before I get back to my usual Miéville love.
June 13, 2013
Quirky and fun. It does kind of throw you into the mix without explaining what's going on, but it starts backstorying after a few issues. I liked the use of the dial being likened to an addiction, and how the superhero role can start consuming your identity. Looking forward to the second collection.
March 21, 2013
China Mieville is a great voice in fantasy and sci-fi fiction. His novels are intelligent, original and engaging, appealing in both their ideology and narrative. So I was somewhat excited to find that he had broken out into graphic novels. Unfortunately my excitement was short lived.
I so much wanted to enjoy this story of a telephone booth that transforms our central character ino a range of superheroes. The problem with the book is one of Mieville’s strengths as a novelist. Mieville is known for dropping his readers into ‘new worlds’, with the reader taking on a much more active experience than the norm in interpreting the world around them. In this way he reads like a great dramatist, immersing his audience while forcing them to pay attention and decipher the rules and relationships presented to them. Embassytown did this extremely well. Dial H does not.
In giving us the tale of Nelson, a stoner turned superhero, the reader is asked too much of, trying to interpret what is going on. While this is a pleasure and success for much modern entertainment, especially television, in Dial H the information is mismanaged. There is not enough to hold on to, to grasp, and too soon the reader loses any footholds and slips too much into Nelson’s all too telling line, ‘Nothing makes sense’.
I so much wanted to enjoy this story of a telephone booth that transforms our central character ino a range of superheroes. The problem with the book is one of Mieville’s strengths as a novelist. Mieville is known for dropping his readers into ‘new worlds’, with the reader taking on a much more active experience than the norm in interpreting the world around them. In this way he reads like a great dramatist, immersing his audience while forcing them to pay attention and decipher the rules and relationships presented to them. Embassytown did this extremely well. Dial H does not.
In giving us the tale of Nelson, a stoner turned superhero, the reader is asked too much of, trying to interpret what is going on. While this is a pleasure and success for much modern entertainment, especially television, in Dial H the information is mismanaged. There is not enough to hold on to, to grasp, and too soon the reader loses any footholds and slips too much into Nelson’s all too telling line, ‘Nothing makes sense’.
June 30, 2013
I liked the basic premise and the fact that the protagonists were a woefully overweight and generally unhealthy man in his late twenties and an elderly woman.
I didn't like the fact that DC chose to depict a much more trimmed down version of the main protagonist on the cover of this book. Really? They didn't think they could sell a comic book with a fat guy on the cover? I also found that the author was trying too hard to be funny at times. China Miéville isn't funny (as evidenced by his novels Kraken and Un Lun Dun). I do like Mr. Miéville's other works, and consider him to be one of my favorite authors, and I likely wouldn't have picked this up had he not written it. I didn't find the stories compelling or the various heroes that the H Dial conjures up quite quirky, funny, or bizarre enough to really entertain. It's too bad that the 'serious' Mr. Miéville didn't write this comic. That could have been something truly fine.
I didn't like the fact that DC chose to depict a much more trimmed down version of the main protagonist on the cover of this book. Really? They didn't think they could sell a comic book with a fat guy on the cover? I also found that the author was trying too hard to be funny at times. China Miéville isn't funny (as evidenced by his novels Kraken and Un Lun Dun). I do like Mr. Miéville's other works, and consider him to be one of my favorite authors, and I likely wouldn't have picked this up had he not written it. I didn't find the stories compelling or the various heroes that the H Dial conjures up quite quirky, funny, or bizarre enough to really entertain. It's too bad that the 'serious' Mr. Miéville didn't write this comic. That could have been something truly fine.
May 13, 2013
I picked that up because I am a huge fan of the writer China Mieville but I have to say I am having a hard time making sense of this book.
December 17, 2014
Any schmuck can be a superhero? That sounds nice and all but does anyone really believe it? Heck no. There’s no way that my fat ass is going to be running around saving the world from super villains. If I could I totally would. But unless we’re talking Butterball from the Avengers Academy most of us average everyday bums aren’t going to have the opportunity to do much about the world around us.
That’s the same sort of mindset that the hero of Dial H had.
Rather, it’s the mindset he probably would have had if he had much of a mindset at all. When we meet Nelson Jent he’s in a rough patch in his life. He’s lost his job, his girlfriend, and just gotten out of the hospital with a heart attack – and he’s not even thirty! Overweight and self-loathing, he’s not the kind of guy everyone would have pegged for the hero type. But after in inadvertently dialing ‘H-E-R-O’ on the outdated rotary dial of a nearby phonebooth while trying to call for help as his friend is beaten to near death by a bunch of thugs all that seems to change.
The phonebooth turns Nelson into a superhero – Boy Chimney – and he’s able to defeat the thugs and get his friend Darren to the hospital. Nelson has no idea how or why any of this is happening and he’s also pretty sure that no one uses a.) payphones or b.) rotary phones any more. But over the next few weeks he uses the phonebooth repeatedly to turn into any number of outrageous superheroes with altering powers, personalities, and usefulness. (Seriously, though, Iron Snail? C’mon.)
Nelson finds himself wrapped up in a battler larger than himself in the underworld of Littleville. There are those who are after the phonebooth’s dial and the powers it wields with the hope of harnessing them for evil. But maybe with the help of Manteau – a shadowy figure with her own dial – he can begin to understand that power. Because he’s not the only person whose ever used this dial. He’s not the only one to use it’s powers. And if he doesn’t keep in mind who he is he could get lost inside the tattered memories of other users or the personas of the heroes he turns into. Meanwhile he also has to evade and strike back at the criminal underworld that’s after him and figure out what the hell is going on.
Basically, he’s living every lazy, fanboy schmuck’s dream. I know it would be mine. Running around turning into various superheroes? I think Nelson would probably enjoy it a lot more, though, if it hadn’t all cost him his best friend, his home, and all that. But hey. Nothing is entirely perfect.
Look at that face, though. It’s okay to smile. You can tell he is so totally into this. Sorta. Whatever. You go, Nelson. Activate ALL the superheroes!
Dial H is a witty, modern revamp of an older DC classic Dial H for Hero. It was launched last year as part of the New 52 and is penned by English writer China Miéville. Who, if you’re not familiar with, you totally should be. He’s awesome. KapowComicBookShow best summed him up as sort of “steampunk, noir by way of H.P. Lovecraft.” Seriously, check out some of his books. Anyway. Mateus Santolouco’s artwork looks great. I’m not usually the biggest fan of the art style used in this comic (I’m a Marvel fangirl – I like rounder curves and bright, flashy colors!) but it works for me in Dial H. It fits the book; it’s meant to be a darker, grungier story. Coming from Miéville’s warped imagination of course it is. And Santolouco does a fantastic job of bringing Miéville’s weird, outlandish stories and heroes to life. Honestly, some of this stuff is pretty freakin’ weird and Santolouco just nails it.
The only thing to really note is that the book splits between Nelson’s POV and the main villain’s POV. And, I’ll be honest, I didn’t find that second part of the story nearly as compelling as reading through what was happening with Nelson. It’s important and it adds a lot to the story but I relate to Nelson. I like Nelson. If I had gone through everything knowing only what he knew I probably would have been okay. Maybe a little confused but if Nelson was equally confused I could have rolled with it. (Actually, to be perfectly honest, there were times I had no idea who was who or what was going on because I did kind of skim through those parts.)
Honesty, I haven’t kept up much with DC comics since the New 52 launched. No real reason behind it except laziness and a lack of funds. Dial H might have been a title I would have chosen to skip over in favor of the other more well established brands. Trust me, though. That would be a total mistake. Dial H really surprised me. Maybe it’s because I really relate to Nelson or I just find the concept to be a lot of fun. China Miéville makes it fun. There is a lot of dry humor intermixed with the seriousness of other parts of the story.
I really enjoyed it and if you’re looking for a superhero experience that’s not as mainstream as some of DC’s other titles – Batman, Superman, Teen Titans, etc. – then maybe give it a look. Just don’t be expecting much of a traditional superhero story. This one is probably more for fans of series like Hellblazer, Hellboy, Watchmen, and I guess maybe the darker Batman stories but yeah. Titles like those.
And if you were a fan looking for more of this (Robby Reid was the original owner of the Littleville dial) then you might want to try out Tiny Titans or the Power Pack one-shots instead.
Basically, don’t expect to see Nelson turning into someone like Superman super straightforward morals or Captain Fluffy Puppy and you’ll be good.
The Dial H: Into You Vol. 1 tradepaper back comes up next month on April 23rd.
That’s the same sort of mindset that the hero of Dial H had.
Rather, it’s the mindset he probably would have had if he had much of a mindset at all. When we meet Nelson Jent he’s in a rough patch in his life. He’s lost his job, his girlfriend, and just gotten out of the hospital with a heart attack – and he’s not even thirty! Overweight and self-loathing, he’s not the kind of guy everyone would have pegged for the hero type. But after in inadvertently dialing ‘H-E-R-O’ on the outdated rotary dial of a nearby phonebooth while trying to call for help as his friend is beaten to near death by a bunch of thugs all that seems to change.
The phonebooth turns Nelson into a superhero – Boy Chimney – and he’s able to defeat the thugs and get his friend Darren to the hospital. Nelson has no idea how or why any of this is happening and he’s also pretty sure that no one uses a.) payphones or b.) rotary phones any more. But over the next few weeks he uses the phonebooth repeatedly to turn into any number of outrageous superheroes with altering powers, personalities, and usefulness. (Seriously, though, Iron Snail? C’mon.)
Nelson finds himself wrapped up in a battler larger than himself in the underworld of Littleville. There are those who are after the phonebooth’s dial and the powers it wields with the hope of harnessing them for evil. But maybe with the help of Manteau – a shadowy figure with her own dial – he can begin to understand that power. Because he’s not the only person whose ever used this dial. He’s not the only one to use it’s powers. And if he doesn’t keep in mind who he is he could get lost inside the tattered memories of other users or the personas of the heroes he turns into. Meanwhile he also has to evade and strike back at the criminal underworld that’s after him and figure out what the hell is going on.
Basically, he’s living every lazy, fanboy schmuck’s dream. I know it would be mine. Running around turning into various superheroes? I think Nelson would probably enjoy it a lot more, though, if it hadn’t all cost him his best friend, his home, and all that. But hey. Nothing is entirely perfect.
Look at that face, though. It’s okay to smile. You can tell he is so totally into this. Sorta. Whatever. You go, Nelson. Activate ALL the superheroes!
Dial H is a witty, modern revamp of an older DC classic Dial H for Hero. It was launched last year as part of the New 52 and is penned by English writer China Miéville. Who, if you’re not familiar with, you totally should be. He’s awesome. KapowComicBookShow best summed him up as sort of “steampunk, noir by way of H.P. Lovecraft.” Seriously, check out some of his books. Anyway. Mateus Santolouco’s artwork looks great. I’m not usually the biggest fan of the art style used in this comic (I’m a Marvel fangirl – I like rounder curves and bright, flashy colors!) but it works for me in Dial H. It fits the book; it’s meant to be a darker, grungier story. Coming from Miéville’s warped imagination of course it is. And Santolouco does a fantastic job of bringing Miéville’s weird, outlandish stories and heroes to life. Honestly, some of this stuff is pretty freakin’ weird and Santolouco just nails it.
The only thing to really note is that the book splits between Nelson’s POV and the main villain’s POV. And, I’ll be honest, I didn’t find that second part of the story nearly as compelling as reading through what was happening with Nelson. It’s important and it adds a lot to the story but I relate to Nelson. I like Nelson. If I had gone through everything knowing only what he knew I probably would have been okay. Maybe a little confused but if Nelson was equally confused I could have rolled with it. (Actually, to be perfectly honest, there were times I had no idea who was who or what was going on because I did kind of skim through those parts.)
Honesty, I haven’t kept up much with DC comics since the New 52 launched. No real reason behind it except laziness and a lack of funds. Dial H might have been a title I would have chosen to skip over in favor of the other more well established brands. Trust me, though. That would be a total mistake. Dial H really surprised me. Maybe it’s because I really relate to Nelson or I just find the concept to be a lot of fun. China Miéville makes it fun. There is a lot of dry humor intermixed with the seriousness of other parts of the story.
I really enjoyed it and if you’re looking for a superhero experience that’s not as mainstream as some of DC’s other titles – Batman, Superman, Teen Titans, etc. – then maybe give it a look. Just don’t be expecting much of a traditional superhero story. This one is probably more for fans of series like Hellblazer, Hellboy, Watchmen, and I guess maybe the darker Batman stories but yeah. Titles like those.
And if you were a fan looking for more of this (Robby Reid was the original owner of the Littleville dial) then you might want to try out Tiny Titans or the Power Pack one-shots instead.
Basically, don’t expect to see Nelson turning into someone like Superman super straightforward morals or Captain Fluffy Puppy and you’ll be good.
The Dial H: Into You Vol. 1 tradepaper back comes up next month on April 23rd.
January 3, 2025
A mystical telephone dial turns a fat loser into a new hero after every spin- such an interesting and weird story. It reminded me of Morrison Doom Patrol or Simone Secret Six- weird and demented with a big dash of wholesomeness.
September 2, 2014
Only China Mieville could write a comic with a hero named Captain Lachrymose - a protagonist who feeds off the sadness of others to become powerful. Great idea with poor results here. An obese Joe Schmo accidentally discovers that he can randomly turn into different weird super heroes after dialing H-E-R-O into a payphone. (Do they still have these?) Anyway, part of the hook is that he quickly has to discover each time what his super powers are and how they work. Now, that is somewhat confusing in itself, but Mieville's relative lack of experience multiplies the disorder with messy panel layouts that make it hard to discern what is going on at times. Add in a villain that is actually an ally, an all-encompassing abyss as the super-villain, and a side kick/ ally that has a dial of her own and is actually a senior citizen. Perhaps you sense my frustration. There is so much wonderful stuff to be mined here, but there is too much work to get to it.
That being said, in the middle of this first volume is a stand alone issue that I might rate 4 stars on its own. The two dial heroes have only one working dial between them and are waiting and watching the news for their turn to use the dial and go out to save the day. The main protagonist is in full stereotypical Native American clothing, and he goes by the name of Chief Mighty Death Arrow. His super buddy won't let him leave the house because the get up is so un-P.C. She shows him a photo diary of all her past identities that include some very questionable heroes: Doctor Cloaca, SS Ilsa, Captain Priapus, Kid Torture. Oh my god, the possibilities for this stuff are just through the roof when the story is not hampered by incredibly convoluted back story of the magic dials and a rip off of The Neverending Story's the Nothing. It may get better, but there's not enough to make me stick around and find out.
That being said, in the middle of this first volume is a stand alone issue that I might rate 4 stars on its own. The two dial heroes have only one working dial between them and are waiting and watching the news for their turn to use the dial and go out to save the day. The main protagonist is in full stereotypical Native American clothing, and he goes by the name of Chief Mighty Death Arrow. His super buddy won't let him leave the house because the get up is so un-P.C. She shows him a photo diary of all her past identities that include some very questionable heroes: Doctor Cloaca, SS Ilsa, Captain Priapus, Kid Torture. Oh my god, the possibilities for this stuff are just through the roof when the story is not hampered by incredibly convoluted back story of the magic dials and a rip off of The Neverending Story's the Nothing. It may get better, but there's not enough to make me stick around and find out.
August 28, 2016
Dial H is one weird comic book (in a very good way). It is a genre-bending tour de force that introduces many amazing concepts and ideas that only China Miéville could come up with. I started reading the book without knowing what it was about, and I think it made the experience even more thrilling.
I do not understand why people complain about the book's surrealism and non-linear plot - as it is in fact a very straight-forward, perfectly clear story that is very well told and beautifully drawn. The goofy hero characters give a nice comedic touch to the book, as well as a lot of originality.
The sad thing about all this is that DC Comics cancelled Dial H a long while ago. The second trade paperback is coming out this month, thank god!
I do not understand why people complain about the book's surrealism and non-linear plot - as it is in fact a very straight-forward, perfectly clear story that is very well told and beautifully drawn. The goofy hero characters give a nice comedic touch to the book, as well as a lot of originality.
The sad thing about all this is that DC Comics cancelled Dial H a long while ago. The second trade paperback is coming out this month, thank god!
November 29, 2015
This was a lot better than I expected. Kinda like Grant Morrison at his mid-level wackiness. The writing is solid, the out there stuff isn't crazy so much that it gets stupid, like many out there books do.
A loser main character who turns into random heroes every time he dials a random phone rotary dial. Some are crazy, some are lame, but the variety is vast. Then he runs into bad guys who are mysterious, as well as a potential ally.
This is also the best DC book I've read in the last bunch, which isn't saying much, but it is.
I'm actually interested to read Vol. 2
A loser main character who turns into random heroes every time he dials a random phone rotary dial. Some are crazy, some are lame, but the variety is vast. Then he runs into bad guys who are mysterious, as well as a potential ally.
This is also the best DC book I've read in the last bunch, which isn't saying much, but it is.
I'm actually interested to read Vol. 2
October 15, 2018
Cool concept, with a unique story line packed with twists and some truly wacky characters. Nelson, an out of shape, unemployed, depressed man, accidentally discovers the H-Dial, a telephone dial on a nearby payphone that turns him into a superhero when he dials 4-3-7-6 (H-E-R-O). Unfortunately, the dial is on the fritz, lasting for varying periods of time, and the hero he becomes is always random, sometimes with truly odd results (i.e.: Captain Lachrymose, Boy Chimney, and Cock-A-Hoop, to name a few). Then he discovers that there's more than one H-Dial in the world, and a cosmic being is interested in them. 3.5 for the story, bumped up to 4 for the imaginative characters and fantastic lettering.
March 31, 2013
Read the Original Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/03/...
“A weird collection that should have a target audience of horror and superhero graphic novel fans alike, but my expectations of a great graphic novel were let down and I was not impressed.” ~The Founding Fields
Writer: China Mieville | Art: Mateus Santolouco, David Lapham, Riccardo Burchielli | Cover Art: Brian Bollard | Collects: Dial H: #0-#6.
• Hugo Award-winning novelist China Mieville joins DC Comics—The New 52 with the first collection of DIAL H!
• In the town of Littleville, CO, a troubled young man stumbles upon the lost H-Dial and all the power it possesses. Can our hero manage harness the power of the H-Dial and protect it from falling into evil hands? Or will this newfound power plunge our hero into madness?
I’ve been hearing a lot of praise for China Mieville’s novels and he’s an author who I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. Dial H. was actually a comic that I was really looking forward to read as a result so that when I saw the first Volume available on NetGalley I leapt at the chance to request it and it wasn’t long before I started reading. And did I enjoy it? Well, I have mixed feelings about Into You, the first collection of Dial H from DC’s New 52 that I’ll touch on in this review.
I’ve never heard of Dial H. before, which made this even more intriguing as before the New 52 reboot I’d heard of virtually all of the characters involved even though I wasn’t a big comics reader before this reboot. But anyway, since most of you are probably going to be in the dark about this series (I’ve got no idea whether it’s a Pre-New 52 Series or was introduced for the reboot myself), I might as well tell you the story. The story introduces us to an unlikely hero, Nelson – an ordinary, over-weight man who has the unfortunate luck of witnessing his friend getting beaten by thugs in an alley. He’s turned into a superhero named Boy Chimney after stepping into a phone box and dialing in an attempt to call for help, and uses his powers to defeat the thugs and get his friend to hospital. Once he has returned to his normal self however, Nelson becomes fascinated by the Dial and returns many times to the Phone Booth, each time being transformed into a new and unique superhero for a short period of time.
If it sounds weird to you, then it probably is. Into You is far from your conventional DC Superhero tale – in fact, it seemingly bares no relation to the main DC Universe whatsoever and could almost exist in its own pocket world. There are no mentions to DC established towns and cities throughout the graphic novel and not one mention of any other superheroes aside from Mieville’s creations. In fact, this tale is so weird that it doesn’t feel like a DC graphic novel. It feels more along the lines of a Vertigo or a Dark Horse tale than sharing the same publisher as Batman and Superman.
I really wanted to enjoy this tale especially with all the positive feedback that came with Mieville’s work. He’s been labelled as a strong voice in fantasy and science fiction and I can certainly see flashes of brilliance throughout this graphic novel, but ultimately, it disappointed me and is probably one of my least favourite New 52 Graphic Novels that I’ve read, beaten only by Superboy from Scott Lobdell. I was very confused over the course of this title and I didn’t always get what was going on. I wasn’t a big fan of the artwork either, it was very weird in places and although that kind of befitted the storyline, it didn’t really do me any favours as a reader. The storyline was very odd in places and this graphic novel didn’t really work for me as a whole.
Nelson, the character – is a pretty average guy and this book demonstrates the fact that he truly is “normal”, after all – think of how many times you see the word “normal” thrown on books and video games that often end up having similar stories to Harry Potter. He’s a smoker, overweight and pretty much broke and alone. Not your typical hero. I didn’t really grow attached to him as a character throughout the book and the dialogue didn’t really help things much. It was too “out there” and not easy to relate to what was happening as a whole, which was a shame as I felt this had great potential. The fact that there’s so much going on as well doesn’t help, for the book moves at a fast pace and the fact that it is so bizarre in places makes it really hard to follow, which was a shame as this book had the potential to be so much better, especially with somebody with Mieville writing it.
If you’re looking for something original, weird, dark and atmospheric, and are used to China Mieville’s method of writing then I think Into You will be right up your street if you haven’t already picked up the individual issues. However for me, I felt this title was a let down and didn’t really enjoy it for the reasons mentioned above. It’s nice to see some realistic characters in superhero stories though and this was admittedly, a refreshing break from the status quo- but ultimately it just didn’t work for me as a collected volume.
VERDICT: 2.5/5
“A weird collection that should have a target audience of horror and superhero graphic novel fans alike, but my expectations of a great graphic novel were let down and I was not impressed.” ~The Founding Fields
Writer: China Mieville | Art: Mateus Santolouco, David Lapham, Riccardo Burchielli | Cover Art: Brian Bollard | Collects: Dial H: #0-#6.
• Hugo Award-winning novelist China Mieville joins DC Comics—The New 52 with the first collection of DIAL H!
• In the town of Littleville, CO, a troubled young man stumbles upon the lost H-Dial and all the power it possesses. Can our hero manage harness the power of the H-Dial and protect it from falling into evil hands? Or will this newfound power plunge our hero into madness?
I’ve been hearing a lot of praise for China Mieville’s novels and he’s an author who I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. Dial H. was actually a comic that I was really looking forward to read as a result so that when I saw the first Volume available on NetGalley I leapt at the chance to request it and it wasn’t long before I started reading. And did I enjoy it? Well, I have mixed feelings about Into You, the first collection of Dial H from DC’s New 52 that I’ll touch on in this review.
I’ve never heard of Dial H. before, which made this even more intriguing as before the New 52 reboot I’d heard of virtually all of the characters involved even though I wasn’t a big comics reader before this reboot. But anyway, since most of you are probably going to be in the dark about this series (I’ve got no idea whether it’s a Pre-New 52 Series or was introduced for the reboot myself), I might as well tell you the story. The story introduces us to an unlikely hero, Nelson – an ordinary, over-weight man who has the unfortunate luck of witnessing his friend getting beaten by thugs in an alley. He’s turned into a superhero named Boy Chimney after stepping into a phone box and dialing in an attempt to call for help, and uses his powers to defeat the thugs and get his friend to hospital. Once he has returned to his normal self however, Nelson becomes fascinated by the Dial and returns many times to the Phone Booth, each time being transformed into a new and unique superhero for a short period of time.
If it sounds weird to you, then it probably is. Into You is far from your conventional DC Superhero tale – in fact, it seemingly bares no relation to the main DC Universe whatsoever and could almost exist in its own pocket world. There are no mentions to DC established towns and cities throughout the graphic novel and not one mention of any other superheroes aside from Mieville’s creations. In fact, this tale is so weird that it doesn’t feel like a DC graphic novel. It feels more along the lines of a Vertigo or a Dark Horse tale than sharing the same publisher as Batman and Superman.
I really wanted to enjoy this tale especially with all the positive feedback that came with Mieville’s work. He’s been labelled as a strong voice in fantasy and science fiction and I can certainly see flashes of brilliance throughout this graphic novel, but ultimately, it disappointed me and is probably one of my least favourite New 52 Graphic Novels that I’ve read, beaten only by Superboy from Scott Lobdell. I was very confused over the course of this title and I didn’t always get what was going on. I wasn’t a big fan of the artwork either, it was very weird in places and although that kind of befitted the storyline, it didn’t really do me any favours as a reader. The storyline was very odd in places and this graphic novel didn’t really work for me as a whole.
Nelson, the character – is a pretty average guy and this book demonstrates the fact that he truly is “normal”, after all – think of how many times you see the word “normal” thrown on books and video games that often end up having similar stories to Harry Potter. He’s a smoker, overweight and pretty much broke and alone. Not your typical hero. I didn’t really grow attached to him as a character throughout the book and the dialogue didn’t really help things much. It was too “out there” and not easy to relate to what was happening as a whole, which was a shame as I felt this had great potential. The fact that there’s so much going on as well doesn’t help, for the book moves at a fast pace and the fact that it is so bizarre in places makes it really hard to follow, which was a shame as this book had the potential to be so much better, especially with somebody with Mieville writing it.
If you’re looking for something original, weird, dark and atmospheric, and are used to China Mieville’s method of writing then I think Into You will be right up your street if you haven’t already picked up the individual issues. However for me, I felt this title was a let down and didn’t really enjoy it for the reasons mentioned above. It’s nice to see some realistic characters in superhero stories though and this was admittedly, a refreshing break from the status quo- but ultimately it just didn’t work for me as a collected volume.
VERDICT: 2.5/5
November 27, 2022
A really cool concept for a superhero comic - if it sometimes feels too frenetic with the ideas it throws onto the page, it is a welcome change of pace from the one-note grim vigilante tone of too many mainstream comics.
January 2, 2020
I read this as a fan of China Mieville. And while it is fun, it has nowhere near the imagination and glorious weirdness of his prose.
The story is that ordinary obese loser Nelson lucks into finding a magical phone. Whenever he dials HERO on it, he channels a random bizarre superhero from somewhere. These are often silly, and occasionally fascinating. Needless to say, Nelson stumbles into adventures. There are occasional bizarre concepts and interesting character moments, but most of the comic you spend waiting to see what the next weird hero will be. For example, my favorite so far...
The book is funny and mind-bendy, similar in tone to Alan Moore's Tom Strong Vol. 1 For example, in one scene Mieville pays homage to the painful early days of comicdom when Nelson's partner in heroing won't let him leave the house as a racially insensitive hero:
The art is fine, but I think it would be very difficult as an artist to keep up with the abstractions and weirdness that Mieville routinely explores. For example, one of the main villains in the early story arc is a sentient void-being called Abyss. Abyss is made of the nothingness between stars out in space, and so moves through space feeding on light. Its body is essentially a wormhole into the darkness of space. The artist does fairly well with this very strange concept, but I think it's stronger as an idea than it often comes out in the book.
As I said, I enjoyed this, but it hasn't yet impressed me as equal to the rest of Mieville's work. I would be curious to see what a more abstract artist may do when teaming up with Mieville (Mike Mignola, Tim Sale, or Frank Miller come to mind).
Mignola's Hellboy
Tim Sale's Joker
Frank Miller's Sin City
Or perhaps an artist with a handle on the bizarre (Paul Pope or Dave McKean maybe)
Paul Pope
McKean's cover for Arkham Asylum
Sorry. This is getting out of control. I just figured out how to post a picture. I'll stop now.
Anyway, Dial H is fun, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for those who aren't fans of superhero comics. Because it way is.
The story is that ordinary obese loser Nelson lucks into finding a magical phone. Whenever he dials HERO on it, he channels a random bizarre superhero from somewhere. These are often silly, and occasionally fascinating. Needless to say, Nelson stumbles into adventures. There are occasional bizarre concepts and interesting character moments, but most of the comic you spend waiting to see what the next weird hero will be. For example, my favorite so far...
The book is funny and mind-bendy, similar in tone to Alan Moore's Tom Strong Vol. 1 For example, in one scene Mieville pays homage to the painful early days of comicdom when Nelson's partner in heroing won't let him leave the house as a racially insensitive hero:
The art is fine, but I think it would be very difficult as an artist to keep up with the abstractions and weirdness that Mieville routinely explores. For example, one of the main villains in the early story arc is a sentient void-being called Abyss. Abyss is made of the nothingness between stars out in space, and so moves through space feeding on light. Its body is essentially a wormhole into the darkness of space. The artist does fairly well with this very strange concept, but I think it's stronger as an idea than it often comes out in the book.
As I said, I enjoyed this, but it hasn't yet impressed me as equal to the rest of Mieville's work. I would be curious to see what a more abstract artist may do when teaming up with Mieville (Mike Mignola, Tim Sale, or Frank Miller come to mind).
Mignola's Hellboy
Tim Sale's Joker
Frank Miller's Sin City
Or perhaps an artist with a handle on the bizarre (Paul Pope or Dave McKean maybe)
Paul Pope
McKean's cover for Arkham Asylum
Sorry. This is getting out of control. I just figured out how to post a picture. I'll stop now.
Anyway, Dial H is fun, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for those who aren't fans of superhero comics. Because it way is.
June 20, 2013
One of the hottest author's around reinventing an obscure DC comics character? Oh yes please!
China Mieville always does weird so well, so his take on Dial H For Hero was always going to be "out there". It's certainly a fun and challenging story, and I like the characters he creates here, especially ordinary guy Nelson, who gets in well over his head when he accidentally dials himself into a superhero, then another one, then another one. In this he is well-supported by the mysterious Manteau, who turns out to have a dial of her own, and faces great villains in Ex Nihilo and the Void.
For all that imagination, I had a nagging sense that I had read all of this before, and I finally realised that Mieville seems to be channeling Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, and Crazy Jane in particular. Now this is no bad thing, as I loved this series and wish I could re-read it (I think it's long out of print though). DC Comics need a few more of this kind of series to pull back old readers like me, because most of their superhero stuff is tedious as hell (Marvel is not much better either).
The main story is backed up by two additional stories, one of which is hysterically funny (villain gets taken down by flying horse poop - now why has that never appeared in Clash of the Titans!). It makes a welcome relief form the seriousness of the main story. The second backup tale delves a bit more deeply into where all these superhero powers comes from, and the consequences of what happens when those powers disappear so they can be used by a person with a dial. Answer - not very nice things usually.
While I enjoyed this story, I think that 4 stars is a bit high - 3 1/2 stars would have been closer.
China Mieville always does weird so well, so his take on Dial H For Hero was always going to be "out there". It's certainly a fun and challenging story, and I like the characters he creates here, especially ordinary guy Nelson, who gets in well over his head when he accidentally dials himself into a superhero, then another one, then another one. In this he is well-supported by the mysterious Manteau, who turns out to have a dial of her own, and faces great villains in Ex Nihilo and the Void.
For all that imagination, I had a nagging sense that I had read all of this before, and I finally realised that Mieville seems to be channeling Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, and Crazy Jane in particular. Now this is no bad thing, as I loved this series and wish I could re-read it (I think it's long out of print though). DC Comics need a few more of this kind of series to pull back old readers like me, because most of their superhero stuff is tedious as hell (Marvel is not much better either).
The main story is backed up by two additional stories, one of which is hysterically funny (villain gets taken down by flying horse poop - now why has that never appeared in Clash of the Titans!). It makes a welcome relief form the seriousness of the main story. The second backup tale delves a bit more deeply into where all these superhero powers comes from, and the consequences of what happens when those powers disappear so they can be used by a person with a dial. Answer - not very nice things usually.
While I enjoyed this story, I think that 4 stars is a bit high - 3 1/2 stars would have been closer.
July 28, 2014
Dial H is a strange comic book. The main characters aren't exactly what one would picture when imagining super heroes, and their powers aren't something they were born with...instead they call for them when needed.
By the use of these strange dials our heroes are able to tap into a random heroic identity for a seemingly random amount of time. From Boy Chimney to Hair Bringer the super heroes themselves aren't exactly run of the mill either. Each dial often brought a chuckle, but the powers were effective enough. Miéville's characters are always original and he really breathed new life into the classic super hero comic.
Part of the New 52 the story takes up the lost H-Dial and introduces our new heroes, Nelson, an everyman whose seen better days, and the mysterious Manteau, a woman of many secrets. I'd never heard of the original series (since I'm not actually that into super hero comics), but Miéville's name on the by line was all I needed to pique my curiosity.
By the end of the story I was hooked, I must know who the mysterious shadow on the dial is and what plans they may have in store. However, the extra chapter at the end really added the classic Miéville twist and I know I'm going to have to watch this series.
By the use of these strange dials our heroes are able to tap into a random heroic identity for a seemingly random amount of time. From Boy Chimney to Hair Bringer the super heroes themselves aren't exactly run of the mill either. Each dial often brought a chuckle, but the powers were effective enough. Miéville's characters are always original and he really breathed new life into the classic super hero comic.
Part of the New 52 the story takes up the lost H-Dial and introduces our new heroes, Nelson, an everyman whose seen better days, and the mysterious Manteau, a woman of many secrets. I'd never heard of the original series (since I'm not actually that into super hero comics), but Miéville's name on the by line was all I needed to pique my curiosity.
By the end of the story I was hooked, I must know who the mysterious shadow on the dial is and what plans they may have in store. However, the extra chapter at the end really added the classic Miéville twist and I know I'm going to have to watch this series.
March 30, 2013
I started reading this series as single issues, but dropped it a few issues in when the story didn't grab me. When I had the opportunity to read the trade (thank you Netgalley and DC), I instantly regretted not keeping up with the single issues! It takes 3 or 4 issues to get there, but once Dial H hits its stride, it becomes one of the most unique and compelling superhero stories out there. It could be that this story reads better as a trade than it does as single issues, but I still plan on adding Dial H back to my pull list, because I want to support this gem of a book and I can't wait to see what happens next!
December 15, 2017
China Miéville's name is above the title. I don't think he has really "breathed new life into" this DC title from an era past so much as he has oozed new goo into it. It's now spooky and dark and grungy and haunted by menaces of world-shaking proportions. It's interesting but not any kind of delight.
April 28, 2013
I didn't really like this. It didn't engage me at all and it was difficult to follow. I think the weird heroes that the dial creates are supposed to be amusing, but I thought they were kind of dumb.
May 1, 2013
Super creative, fun, and awesome art. It's too bad that the artist changed in issue #6 because I loved the original one. The new one is good too, but I just liked how things came together with Santolouco.
September 12, 2016
In my personal mathematics: China Mieville + one of DC's most ludicrous properties = awesome. It inspires awe in a manner I haven't felt since I was 12, while managing to keep my more experienced sensibilities engaged. You can't ask for much more than that.
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