Feature Webcomic: HERO
Another week has somehow poofed into past memory and it’s time for a new comic. Today I celebrate the return after almost a year long break of HERO by Hwei. Taken from the about page so as to avoid spoilers, “HERO is a story about a perfectly ordinary boy with no memory of the past and no urgency for the future; who one day accepts a most extraordinary offer to travel to distant places and invisible cities.” Of course during this journey the boy discovers much more about the world and himself then he ever expected. HERO takes a quiet and deep look at what it means to be a person and what it means to live.
When you first look at HERO all you can see is the gorgeous artwork. It appears completely void of any dialogue. There is dialogue and plenty of it, but even without the comic would hold it’s own and tell a beautiful picture story. The dialogue adds much to the story though and is contained entirely in mouseover boxes. Be careful because each panel on a page is likely to have it’s own bit of dialogue to accompany it. By presenting the comic in this form the art never has to compromise to fit in the needed text. It also gives a sort of introspective feeling while reading the comic.
The story itself is hard to delve into without giving away too much. It’s essentially a journey of the boy with no memory and a man named Valentine through a fantastical world. Behind the lovely scenery and people they meet there is a larger story that keeps forcing its way out into the open. Bringing with it bittersweet memories and many nightmares for the two protagonists. Many questions are raised debated about what makes life and what makes an individual.
HERO is an excellent read and i recommend it for a quiet day when there is some time alone to really delve in and savour it. It won’t be good for a quick archive crawl during sporadic breaks at work. There is too much to be missed and overlooked that way. It is well worth it to dedicate some time and focus to this wonderful webcomic.
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