4 out of 5

As was the case with ‘Mazing Man, Bob Rozakis and penciler Stephen DeStefano concoct a unique balance of silly and smart for a comic experience that’s unlike anything else I’ve read, up through these crazy modern times.

The premise is straight forward and fun enough – call 555-HERO when you need assistance, and operators (who we see toiling endlessly in the background, their dialogue occasionally piped in interstitially or to link story elements) will either shuttle you to the proper source of relief or pass on your call to dispatch so that a hero can be sent out.  Right – this ain’t Superman and Batman, who only appear on the cover of issue 1 (and one A-lister has a hilariously random cameo in the middle of the series) – it’s a group of either Rozakis originals or some peops (I think) dredged from the Golden Age.  They’re here ’cause they want to help, but they need the steady pay Hotline offers them ’cause they ain’t secretly playboy millionaires, and the operation is helpful for those who can’t afford membership to a club with HQ on the moon.  It’s totally a sound idea, and Bob and DeStefano AGAIN create a world where we can chuckle at these funny types but it’s never really malicious, because they seem… I dunno, competent.  ‘Mazing Man was bumbling but had a good heart.  These heroes might have very selective powers – Lightning Eyes is a speed reader, Microwavabelle can heat objects up – but they’re not jokes, and kittens do need rescuing from places, sometimes, that they fire department can’t immediately get to.

An “advancement” in the color printing process at the time of publication fills issue 3 with some silly effects, but otherwise DeStefano’s pencils, inked with lovingly precise detail by Kurt Schaffenberger, are just amazing.  Every panel pops, and he jumps through some fourth wall breaking hoops (mostly via ‘Stretch,’ an old elastic hero, who swoops in the gutters between panels) without giving the reader pause at all.  There are many pages that are meant to represent several events happening at once, and it just reads – visually and dialogue-wise – so smoothly.

But it is a limited, and a building “mystery” doesn’t really get as much page space as it should, so it sort of falters with an abrupt Scooby Doo kind of ending that feels over-dramatic.  This feeling of “does it matter?” hung in the air of ‘Mazing Man as well.  It’s part of both books appeal, but it makes it tough to properly bind with more typical comic book story elements when they do occur.

If you’re a fan of books that push the borders on the Marvel and DC Universe – the joy of reading comic book pulp and appreciation for heroes BUT are willing to go without Wolverine appearances, you’ll find a lot of smiles in Hero Hotline.