No Hero | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Avatar Press |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Genre | |
Publication date | July 2008 – September 2009 |
No. of issues | 8 |
Creative team | |
Created by | Warren Ellis Juan Jose Ryp |
Written by | Warren Ellis |
Artist(s) | Juan Jose Ryp |
Colorist(s) | Greg Waller Digikore Studios |
Editor(s) | William A. Christensen |
Collected editions | |
Limited edition hardcover | ISBN 1-59291-085-8 |
No Hero is a superhero comic book created by writer Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp. [1]
No Hero is regarded as the second series in Ellis' Avatar Press-published "Superhuman Trilogy" dealing with the creation of superheroes, preceded by Black Summer , and followed by Supergod . Prior to Supergod's release, Warren Ellis said in an interview that, "Black Summer was about superhumans who were too human. No Hero was about superhumans who were inhuman. Supergod is about superhumans who are no longer human at all, but something else. The third leg of a thematic trilogy if you like." [2]
No Hero takes place in a world where superheroes have existed since the 1960s and came about as a reaction to increasingly violent police reactions to the American counter-culture movement as well as violent street crime. The original heroes of the 1960s called themselves "The Levellers" after the popular movement that came out of the English Civil War. The Levellers eventually evolved into "The Front Line" who derive their superpowers from a drug called FX 7 that have side-effects as dangerous as the powers they gain. The exact makeup of FX 7 is a tightly guarded secret, with many government groups having tried to emulate its effects with disastrous consequences. The story focuses on a man named Joshua Carver who comes to Front Line's attention after performing several minor acts of vigilantism in his hometown, and is offered the chance to use FX 7 to become a superhero by Carrick Masterson, the original inventor of FX 7 and founder of Front Line, who is immortal and ageless from the use of the drug.
Throughout the first half of the story, the reader is also shown that Front Line has been using its metahuman forces to control world events through actions such as assassinating Boris Yeltsin, destroying the Iran oilfields, dissolving South Africa, and preventing France from developing nuclear weapons, in the name of world stability.
Joshua takes the FX 7 pill and gains incredible powers, but with a horrifying side-effect: Joshua's skin, teeth and genitals rot off, leaving him monstrously disfigured. Despite this, he's welcomed into the group and given a costume to cover up his disfigurements.
However, after Joshua saves a crashing jet liner, two other members of Front Lines reveal that they had engineered the crash by killing the pilots to allow Joshua to gain positive PR. Meanwhile, someone has been targeting Front Line members with weapons capable of killing superhumans, with clues hinting at any number of governments angered at Front Line's past actions.
However, it's not until the climax of the story where the truth is revealed: Joshua Carver is a secret FBI operative raised since childhood by the agency after his parents were murdered by a serial killer who taught him his skills and turned him into a sociopath. Using his manipulation skills, Carver gains the trust of his targets, then assassinates them when they let him close. He reveals that the destruction of The Front Line is a joint effort by the world's governments, wanting to be rid of their interference. Carver kills the remaining members of The Front Line and flies the immortal Carrick into space before dying, but the final pages reveal that without the stabilizing influence of Front Line, the world is already beginning to descend into international chaos.
The series has been collected into an individual volume:
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character who typically possesses superpowers or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero; typically using their powers to help the world become a better place, or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime. Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since the 1930s, in American comic books, as well as in Japanese media.
Planetary is an American comic book series created by writer Warren Ellis and artist John Cassaday, and published by the Wildstorm imprint of DC Comics. After an initial preview issue in September 1998, the series ran for 27 issues from April 1999 to October 2009.
The American Crusader is a superhero who originally appeared in Thrilling Comics #19. He appeared in almost every issue until #41.
Doc Strange is a Golden Age comic book superhero who originally appeared in Thrilling Comics #1 in February 1940. The character continued in Thrilling Comics until issue #64. He also appeared in America's Best Comics #1-23 and 27.
Flatman (Matt) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by John Byrne, the character first appeared in West Coast Avengers #46. Flatman belongs to the subspecies of humans called mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. He is a member of the Great Lakes Avengers.
Bulleteer is a fictional character and DC Comics superheroine, a member of the Seven Soldiers. She debuted in Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer #1, and was created by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette. The character is based in part on the Fawcett Comics character Bulletgirl.
The Fighting Yank is the name of several superheroes, first appearing in Startling Comics #10.
Firebird is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #265. The character has been a member of the Rangers and the Avengers West Coast at various points in her history.
Discrimination against superheroes is a common theme and plot element in comic books and superhero fiction, usually as a way to explore the issue of superheroes operating in society or as commentary on other social concerns. Often in response to this are Registration Acts, fictional legislative bills that have been plot points used in various comic books and mediums which, when passed into law, enforce the regulation of extra-legal vigilante activity vs. criminal activity, or the mandatory registration of superpowered individuals with the government.
Amazing-Man is a comic book superhero whose adventures were published by Centaur Publications during the 1930s to 1940s in the Golden Age of Comic Books. Historians credit his creation variously to writer-artist Bill Everett or to Everett together with Centaur art director Lloyd Jacquet. Amazing-Man first appeared in Amazing-Man Comics #5.
Samson is a superhero who appeared in comic books published by Fox Feature Syndicate. He first appeared in Fantastic Comics #1. The writer was uncredited, but is believed to be Will Eisner; the artist was Alex Blum, using the pseudonym "Alex Boon".
Bronze Man is a fictional comic-book superhero in comics published by Fox Feature Syndicate. He first appeared in Blue Beetle #42.
The Liberator is a superhero from the Golden Age of Comics. His first appearance was in Exciting Comics #15, published by Nedor Comics. The character was later revived by writer Alan Moore for America's Best Comics.
Black Summer is a comic book limited series written by Warren Ellis, illustrated by Juan Jose Ryp, and published by Avatar Press starting in June 2007. The plot revolves around the consequences of a superhero, John Horus, who kills the President of the United States and several of his advisers after discovering them to be war criminals. The following seven issues detail the aftermath of the assassination.
Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction examining the adventures, personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as supervillains. The genre primarily falls between hard fantasy and soft science fiction in the spectrum of scientific realism. It is most commonly associated with American comic books, though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works.
Captain Future is a fictional superhero character who first appeared in Startling Comics #1 from Nedor Comics.
Warren Ellis is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter, best known as the co-creator of several original comic book series such as Transmetropolitan, Global Frequency, and Red, the latter of which was adapted into the 2010 feature film Red and its 2013 sequel Red 2. A prolific comic book writer, he has written several Marvel series, including Astonishing X-Men, Thunderbolts, Moon Knight, and the "Extremis" story arc of Iron Man, which was the basis for the 2013 film Iron Man 3. Ellis' other credits include The Authority and Planetary, both of which he co-created for Wildstorm, as well as runs on Hellblazer for Vertigo and James Bond for Dynamite. In addition to his comics work, Ellis wrote two prose novels, Crooked Little Vein and Gun Machine, as well as numerous short stories and novellas.
Supergod is a 5-issue comic book limited series created by Warren Ellis, published by Avatar Press, with art by Garrie Gastonny. Issue 1 was released in November 2009.
Power Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fred Van Lente and Mahmud Asrar, the character first appeared in Shadowland: Power Man #1. Victor Alvarez is the third incarnation of Power Man. He is the son of the supervillain Shades.
The Multiversity is a two-issue limited series combined with seven interrelated one-shots set in the DC Multiverse in The New 52, a collection of universes seen in publications by DC Comics. The one-shots in the series were written by Grant Morrison, each with a different artist. The Multiversity began in August 2014 and ran until April 2015.
This section includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(July 2010) |