Hyperion Soars But Peter Parker is Stuck on the Ground in our Heroes Reborn Roundup

Hyperion and the Imperial Guard #1 

Hyperion gets a Brood awakening in the “finale” of Heroes Reborn: Hyperion & The Imperial Guard #1. Written by Ryan Cady, drawn by Michele Bandini, inked by Elisabetta D’Amico & Michele Bandini, colored by Erick Arciniega, and lettered by Cory Petit.

We often talk about how we want comics to really go for it. How we want the books we like to cash the checks they write, instead of just half-committing to a premise or abandoning it entirely after an arc or two.

By that metric Heroes Reborn: Hyperion & The Imperial Guard #1 is a success. But it might only be a win for the likes of us constant readers.

Presented at the “121st” issue of a “long-running” series, Hyperion & The Imperial Guard #1 asks a lot of its audience right at the jump. Though led by Hyperion, a character who provides a slight touchstone, The Imperial Guard are a whole heap of new characters (sans Gladiator) that we are expected to just roll with. Complicating matters further is the sheer block of information, backfilling previous “issues”, that writer Ryan Cady has to frontload the issue with in order to fully sell his idea. Now, as a concept? I freaking LOVE this. Cady here displays a true ambition and narratively reckless sense of world-building that I can’t help but be charmed by. A lot of this is hinged around the crunchy, deeply felt details of the “finale”. Textures like Editor’s Notes calling back to earlier arcs of this series in dialogue or even the fully written-out letter’s section the issue comes complete with (made even more real by the grousing in the column about the direction of the title).

Unfortunately, in execution, Hyperion & The Imperial Guard’s gimmick makes the whole affair ring rather hollow. Backed only with the bald exposition of the “Previously On” blurb, a lot of the characters’ connections and dynamics never really feel like they amount to much. The issue’s plot also ends up ringing a touch tinny as well. Faced with the end of his tenure with the Guard, Hyperion appeals to group leader Gladiator for one last super-hang…which they then receive in the form of Deathbird’s unexplored galactic fortress. 

Again, as an idea, it’s pretty fun! But as you continue to read through it, more and more it feels like something is definitely missing. Something like the connection you are supposed to feel for these characters during their “finale” or even the investment you would have after following this team for the “hundred” or so issues you would have to read before this one.

Which is a disappointment. Even with the consistently engaging old-school artwork of Bandini, D’Amico, and Arciniega. While Cady is busy spinning out this whole alternate batch of superhero comics publishing, the art team commits big time to the visual tone and action of a Legion of Super Heroes adventure [Ed. Note: DC’s Legion was famously the inspiration for Dave Cockrum’s original version of the Imperial Guard]. Populated with rounded, almost European-inspired character models, Bandini and company put forth some really engaging set pieces, peppered with the kind of slightly arch emotionality you would expect from a teen-team-centered book. Basically for every scene of characters smooching (and there are a few), you get another one with the whole group fighting space aliens. The best of both outer worlds, really.

But even with this sort of sincerity and gimmick-heavy presentation, Heroes Reborn: Hyperion & The Imperial Guard #1 might not be as impressive as it thinks it is. Less so if one were to strictly examine it as an example of comic event tie-in storytelling. While it comes to the table with an ambition and narrative scope that is little seen in crossovers, Heroes Reborn: Hyperion & The Imperial Guard #1 is more of a cult curio than essential event reading. 

Peter Parker: The Amazing Shutterbug #1

Peter Parker experiences the road not taken in Heroes Reborn: Peter Parker, The Amazing Shutterbug #1. Written by Marc Bernardin, drawn by Ron Lim & Rafael De LaTorre, inked by Scott Hanna, colored by Jim Campbell, and lettered by Ariana Maher.

Peter Parker’s life hits the skids (again) in Heroes Reborn: Peter Parker, The Amazing Shutterbug #1. 

Forced to live in a world that ignores and ridicules him, Peter Parker wanders through this tie-in issue a despondent loner, positioned solely as a misanthropic  spectator and documenter of the exceptional beings that populate the Heroes Reborn universe. If that sounds off-putting to read, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone in this assessment.

Though a neat “boots on the ground” look at the Heroes Reborn AU this Marc Benardin scripted tie-in reads consistently dour. We follow this new version of Peter from the last days of high school into years into this new reality. Like the main series, things are just a step out of sync, but enough to make them feel and operate as a separate “version” of Pete’s storied history.

Unfortunately, Benardin doesn’t really bring much novelty or cheek beyond “Peter’s Life Sucks Now”, sending him running from bullies one minute into being faced with yet another crippling loss in another, only to settle into a soulless, openly resentful version of his photography career for the Daily Bugle. 

Parts of this show some sparks of life, however. The functional “walking tour” this script provides of the Heroes Reborn universe again shows some promise; one of the few consistently fun threads of this event and it’s tie-ins. But those details are often stifled by the issue’s take on Peter and his new normal, holding the audience slightly away with it’s consistent unpleasantness.  

That same unpleasantness, unfortunately, extends to the issue’s artwork. Providing a sketchy, rough-hewn double-feature vibe, artists Ron Lim and Rafael De LeTorre never really gel, despite their styles standing similarly next to each other. The relatively grounded scope of this issue also hamstrings it visually. Though we are used to seeing more “street-level” points of view in relation to Peter, Peter is pointedly removed from much of the action here. This gives the issue overall a roughly pedestrian feeling, gracing it with the look of an underlit indie drama in the worst possible way.

It all leads to Heroes Reborn: Peter Parker, The Amazing Shutterbug feeling rather hateful, all told. With Peter’s new status quo and the issue’s themes heavily factoring into feelings of isolation and alienation, this tie-in really makes a home in the doldrums and drabness of “realistic” takes on superheroes without bringing much new to the table along with it. While other Heroes Reborn efforts have relished their theatricality or weirdness, Heroes Reborn: Peter Parker, The Amazing Shutterbug #1 stands as little more than a dour window into a much more colorful world.

Zachary Jenkins

Zachary Jenkins co-hosts the podcast Battle of the Atom and is the former editor-in-chief of ComicsXF. Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside all this.