Review: HIRO - Blood of Patriots
Let's talk taboos...
Reanimated corpses dealing bloody mayhem? There may once have been a time when that was considered shocking as a form of entertainment but, by and large, that sensibility seems almost quaint today... With the current glut of zombies on TV and movies we do seem to be up to our gouged eyeballs in gore-splattered, decomposing, cannibalistic monstrosities. And comics are certainly no strangers to graphic depictions of violence.
But there are more taboos at play in HIRO Blood of Patriots, by artist Jason Williams and writer Dan Lucas of Atomic Elbow comics.
Here we have the desecration of not just any corpses but the bodies of soldiers slain in battle. A violation of the memories of those revered as heroes... What were these guys thinking? Can't they see how offensive some people might find this?
Well, actually, the story is this: HIRO is a patriotic tale that very much respects the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces. The US is waging a war against its old arch enemy Russia. American soldiers are in short supply... live ones, at any rate.
A drastic solution is called for: a robotic device that prowls the battlefield in search of the deceased. When it finds a suitable candidate it fuses itself to the body and brain, creating a hulking undead cyborg ready to continue fighting.
So far, so sci-fi schlocks-ploitation ... But here's the twist: The ghoulish contraption does not reanimate just any old stiff, it scans the brain to see if the soldier died heroically. Upon the worthy it bestows its ghastly gift - the chance of a return to active duty, for the glory of America.
And here the previous taboo is suddenly turned on its head and we have a new one: patriotism.
In a tribute at the end the creators say:
"In a time of unprecedented backlash toward patriotism, many celebrities, and public leaders focus on America’s problems instead of her triumphs. We still believe the United States of America is the greatest country on the face of the earth."
The comic design features the stars and stripes prominently. Their colours are firmly nailed to the mast, but are they right? Or ... gulp! ... ALT-right???
No, I don't think so. This is not some redneck polemic. Our central characters are two Russians and an African American, none of whom display stereotypical traits. There is nothing here to offend my liberal sensitivities and no politics to bog down the narrative, which gallops along at a satisfying pace.
The art style is expressive, perfectly matching the OTT premise, and there is no shortage of action (much of it of the gleefully violent variety). The characters are rendered with a bombastic energy, but still visually on point. And this is more than just a gratuitous romp, as is often the case with science fiction. The first words uttered by the newly-risen warrior are inevitably: "WHAT AM I?"
We don't know yet. An AI fusing with a dead human brain... the lights are on but WHO, exactly, is home? The mind and soul of the fallen hero? A machine programmed to kill, now adapting to a humanoid shell? A fusion of the two?
These are the questions raised when we start breaking the rules of what it means to be a person. Only continuing the story will tell us more and, trust me, after reading the first issue you will definitely be left wanting more.
Read the FREE prequel HIRO Zero HERE
Review of HIRO Zero HERE
Zak Webber
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