HOURMAN review

"He's our man"

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Hourman's a series that spun out of DC One Million and was published by DC between 1999 and 2001, with 25 issues in total. It's written by Tom Peyer and illustrated by Rags Morales, and stars the titular Hourman--more specifically, the third of them, Matthew Tyler, an android from the future. It also features the return of former Justice League mascot and former teleporter, Snapper Carr. With its massive scale and wonderful story, Hourman definitely satisfies.

Though some may find the art in Hourman a tad dated due to how coloring techniques have changed, it definitely does not suffer from the standard 90's art style; especially considering it began so late in the decade.

One of the series's biggest strength is easily its scale. This is a true epic, spanning centuries long, going into the past, present (at the time), and future. The ways that Peyer uses time travel are practically unprecedented and undeniably great. This may sound rather daunting, but it's pulled off in impressive fashion. Every major plot thread is tied together and makes sense, and hits every bullseye. The plot, as previously mentioned, is excellent. There are tons of twists and it's great seeing everything fall into place, like a jigsaw puzzle or Rubik's cube, and brilliant in the way it's told. Masterfully, to say the least. If I did have a problem with this, it'd be that the pacing is a little off. While each arc ties together nigh seamlessly, there are times that heels are dragged and times where the story feels rushed. This is probably the series's greatest short-falling, but it's more or less just an annoyance, and is no great undoing.

The characters in the series are both likable and interesting, though more of the latter than the former. They have their complexities and they have this charisma to them that makes them pleasant to read instead of eye-gougingly awful. The dialogue is well written, with plenty of intriguing and masterfully crafted lines. There are some quips here and there that'll get a laugh too, but it's not as often. There's not much emphasis on action, but... it's definitely there.

Hourman's an excellent series that bears checking out if you're interested. It's highly compelling and I believe it'll warrant at least a gander. If you're not interested, still give it a look, it may change your mind. Hourman earns a 9/10.

Excellent

Summary:
Hourman's the kind of series that gets universal acclaim and deserves it. Decent, if dated, art, a massive scale, an incredibly compelling plot, interesting characters, strong dialogue, and some nice banter make Hourman a series worth giving a go. It's held back by its pacing issues and the art not being fantastic, but if you can forsake that then I'd bet you'll love it even more than I did.

(originally posted: 5/3/2016)