REVIEW: Huck #1

Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Review: Art Bee

Lately it seems I can’t find a bad comic to review. December is no exception, but I will try to find one next time to smear against the wall. This month I was thrown a title from Image called Huck. The name made several images race through my head and almost all of them involved some back-country character. Guess what? My dart is in the green circle. That’s right, a dart board reference.

This is nothing less than a jewel from Mark Millar and is one of his classic hook-setting first issues. Please don’t think me a fan boy of Millar. I respect his work, but many of his efforts do not get deposited in my comic folder each month. Huck might just be the first one to which I will subscribe (let the hate mail commence, artbee@thehammondcomicsblog.com).

Huck is about a simple orphan grown into a super-human boy scout. Granted, this sounds a bit cliché, but it is delivered in a very unique flavor. The entire first issue is designed to make you just fall in love with Huck. He is all about doing one good deed a day, and no task is too small. Seriously! The opening scene is him traversing a great distance to dive to the bottom of the ocean and dig a young lady’s lost necklace from the garbage. I could have done him one better by buying her a new one and promptly asking her to dinner. Anyway, with the joking aside, Millar has done an awesome job enamoring this character to the reader, especially with the integration of current events. Nice time capsule, Millar (see Hammond Swap Meet).

The artwork is spectacular, which is what I would expect from Rafael Albuquerque. McCaig really brings the artwork to life with his use of color and shading in the panels. This is one time I would almost think the colorist is outshining the artist. The best panel in my opinion is on page nine. Huck is shown as an infant abandoned in a basket. The two artists truly created a great piece in this one panel. My suggestion would be to blow it up and sell the prints, guys.

There have been several fantastic new series to come out of Image in the last few years, and I feel this could be one of the lasting ones if Millar really puts the time into it. He is pretty busy with his other titles. He did write the column at the end of the book and made an announcement for a writing and artist showcase featuring people who have never been published. Check this out at his website, MillarWorld.

Also be sure to check out The Hammond Comics Blog’s newest creation, Tales from the Dollar Box, which just launched. This will be where we at the HCB will post reviews of old comics every Wednesday.