Dial H for Hero was initially solicited as a six-issue series. Its successful run allowed it to get an order for another six issues. The story arc for the first six was very tight and ended on solid ground that allowed for a cliffhanger at the same time. Here in the first three issues of the new arc, we pick up where that cliffhanger left off. At the end of issue #6, many citizens of Metropolis were granted powers through the H-Dial. Issue #7 definitely feels like filler/buying time to build up this new story arc as it spends the entirety of the issue intersecting with various citizens who got these powers, without really advancing the story.

Issue #8 is phenomenal in that it is built to be read in order from front to back AND back to front. The hard work put into story plotting by Sam Humphries and art by Joe Quinones to pull that off absolutely shows. This issue is of particular note as it reveals the origin of Mr. Thunderbolt.

Issue #9 gets back to building up more of the central drama of the story: the chasing down of the multiple MacGuffins of the four different H-Dials. Each dial is imbued with different power and when all four are put together, it grants access to an H-Dial of the entire Multiverse. The stakes are quite high in a book that is grounded in heart and feel goodness.

Again, massive credit goes out to Quinones in his ability to mimic so many different art styles across the comics spectrum. Each new hero summoned from the H-Dial is done in a different style. In issue #9 alone, we get Quinones channeling Chris Ware and early Kevin Eastman/Peter Laird. Not to be forgotten, letterer Dave Sharpe is fantastic in every issue. Sharpe adapts all lettering ( speech balloons, thought balloons, effects, etc. ) to match those various comic books’ styles. This a critical bit of detail, as it helps sell subconsciously that you are reading panels drawn by those very artists.

At the end of issue #9, you can feel the momentum of the story that has been set and waiting to be executed. I absolutely look forward to how the final three issues play out. Dial H for Hero is one of those titles that I feel that anyone and everyone should be reading.