5 out of 5

Picking up all the bits and pieces strewn about in the first volume, Ryan Browne’s ongoing (I hope… or for as long as it’s funny, anyway) GHA expands its scope and ups its game in every regard, no doubt in part thanks to the extra players who can take some burden off the one-man act for Browne and let him let his insane superhero opera play out as it will.  Astronaut farmers and space wars: two elements which kicked around in the background of volume one while Star Grass and Starrior’s domestic nonsense mostly took center stage.  Here Browne shifts this infinitely more fun – as it allows for a lot more plotting room – focus to the fore, humorously shushing Grass and Starrior’s reunion and child-rearing to something of an afterthought that wraps back around for the ‘concluding’ moments of this first ‘arc’ (my quotes there just implying this is probably not going to be an actual ‘arc’ book except how Ryan determines it; the story doesn’t really finish here, but it’s being collected as the second trade, so here we are).  While the humor is still incredibly random, with new anthromorphs with silly names and inventive and hilarious designs showing up every other page, it feels better paced and less like fallback humor; the sound effect gag isn’t exactly used sparingly but it’s a tad more selective, and it feels like Ryan isn’t pushing so hard to make things crass and edgy, instead just letting his now established creations fill up the story.  Plus, we have some effective distractions in the form of an “ad” for ‘Minternets’ – mints that let your brain connect to the internet – and a back-up story starring The Impossible, both of which of course end up being part of the main story in one way or another.

And as with a lot of Image projects lately, the whole package reeks of passion: The general design by Thomas Quinn adds a nice sense of consistency to Ryan’s insanity, and the gags on the inside and back cover are almost comforting, presented as they are so seamlessly.  Jordan Boyd’s colors are stunning; his use of tones rivals Dave Stewart’s and gives the book a nice energetic warmth that volume one was lacking.  And Chris Crank’s letters strike just the right balance between homegrown and bombast to match GHA’s slapped-together-by-a-professional feel.

Basically, all of the wandering aspects of volume one that somewhat undermined the impact of the humor have been whittled away or sharpened to a point with volume 2, and Browne delivers a story with enough forward momentum and, yeah, surprises, to keep the book from feeling like just a collection of randomness.

If you like the first page, you’ll like it all.