Johnny Hiro #1

With all the weighty, momentous events covering the mainstream comics landscape (Civil War over at Marvel, and 52 over at DC), some lighthearted entertainment would certainly be very welcome. Even better, it would be especially great to be rid of all those superheroes bounding about with their capes and costumes. Maybe even something down to earth, set in modern day New York, but without any cliché or awkward references to the Iraq War (see Avengers: The Initiative #1). Something like Fred Chao's Johnny Hiro.

"Johnny Hiro is no exception," the comic starts, and this seems to be exceedingly true. The comic opens with Hiro and Mayumi, his girlfriend, asleep in their humble, New York City apartment. Of course, Hiro's blissful sleep is interrupted as Gozadilla, a giant lizard-monster, crashes its talon through the apartment's walls and kidnaps Mayumi, but that's not really his fault. Hiro is just an ordinary guy who happens to be dating the daughter of the 1970's Tokyo action-girl who defeated Gozadilla's monstrous rampage back in 1978; can't blame a monster for wanting a little revenge. Monster hunting is a bit out of Hiro's league, but he gives it a shot anyway (and so ensues a late-night monster chase, complete with cute bunny slippers).

Johhny Hiro is another fine example of a phenomenon that seems to work well only in the indie world: single-creator comics. Anyone who has caught a glimpse of a comic script knows writers can be extremely specific in describing the sort of illustration they want, but the results can never be perfect. Unless, of course, you have the ability to directly translate your thoughts into images. This is the power of a comic written and drawn by the same person.

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Indeed, reading Johnny Hero (oops, I mean Hiro), there is the subtle feeling that the words and images are in absolutely precise alignment. The laying out of lettering and panel size and shape is an underrated art, and Chao is adept even at this. Case in point, the fifth and sixth pages (see right): On the fifth page, Hiro hurriedly puts on pants as Gozadilla passes behind him, then rushes up the stairs to the roof, the panels dissipating outward in three increasingly-larger rings. Then the sixth page, a simple full-page panel with Hiro standing barely as high as the monster's head, and the night sky soaring above them. Beautiful stuff.

The plot and dialogue of Johnny Hiro are absurd in every sense of the word, but the narration keeps the comic grounded, ensuring it doesn't float off into the wispy clouds of cartoon ridiculousness. The art manages a similar balancing act: smooth outlines that are minimalistic enough to keep apparent the story's fantastic nature, but with enough detail to remind the reader the events are not occurring in some altogether fantasy world. In other words, an American manga similar to Scott Pilgrim or Love Fights.

My only wariness with Johnny Hiro stems from the total lack of loose ends at the issue's close. As this is only issue #1, I expected less finality, but this issue read more like a one-shot than a first issue. Although introducing Mayumi as the daughter of a 1970's crimefighter certainly leaves room for the story to follow any number of paths, I would have liked more of a sense of where the story actually would go. This was a very strong comic, but I don't know how I feel about it being the first in a series. However, Chao strikes me as an adept writer, and I have faith in him not starting the next issue with anything less than a silky smooth transition.

Forgetting it's minor, minor (maybe even nonexistent) faults, Johnny Hiro is, above all, a great read. And it only benefits from its solo creative team. Being responsible for both art and story is the easiest way to have a comic published, but it is a delicate undertaking. Many creators tend to excel in one area or the other, and finding a good writer who is an equally talented artist is a rare occurrence. Nonetheless, that is exactly who Fred Chao is. If Chao can keep up the humor and playfulness found in this first issue, Johnny Hiro will easily be one of the year's best series.

by Spencer Sugarman

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