- The Helm #1
- Available from Dark Horse Comics
- Writer: Jim Hardison
- Pencils: Bart Sears
- Inks: Randy Elliot
That’s the premise behind Dark Horse Comics’ mini-series The Helm and while he might not be Joe Average, the adventures of Mathew Blurdy--a basement dwelling fanboy of epic loser proportions--give us an amusing take on the age old superhero formula.
What if you had a magical superpower…and it hated your guts?
As The Helm #1 starts, we meet Mathew Blurdy, an overweight, thirty year old loser who still lives in his mom’s basement. From the very beginning, Matt’s got it rough: on page one, his girlfriend breaks up with him; on page two, he loses his job. As he laments the loss of his lady love on the way home, our ‘hero’ stumbles across a garage sale and simply has to peruse the wares for sale.
Browsing what the proprietor has to offer, Mathew hears a strange voice and finds, among the odd bric-a-brac, a mystical helm with a voice only he can hear. Upon discovering that Matt can hear it, the helm declares him to be the ‘Valhalladrim’--that is, until Matt actually picks up the helm to confirm. Learning that the man who can hear its voice isn’t exactly dashing hero material, the helm changes its mind.
However, Matt can’t just let a talking helmet go, so--being too broke to actually afford to buy the item--he steals it. The helm is understandably upset and berates Mathew endlessly--even going so far as to try to get him killed. Thus begins the uneasy relationship between hero and magical artifact.
Tech Specs and Final Verdict
Writer Jim Hardison certainly gives us a new kind of hero in The Helm, but the truth is that Mathew isn’t particularly likeable right off the bat. He’s more pathetic than anything else--which might be where the genius of this series lies. Just as you’d have to warm up to someone you don’t know, you have to warm up to Mathew. The dialogue isn’t anything particularly special, but it’s character appropriate. No awards will be won for scathing wit, but some of it is relatively amusing.
While there’s a built-in niche audience who can identify with the main character, Matt is also an example of all the negative stereotypes there are about gamers, fanboys and those who lead pop-culture-centric lives. This might not sit well with the comic book reading set. Yet, through the storyline, there’s hope that the protagonist of The Helm can eventually overcome the stigma of being a loser and turn into a real hero. There’s room for character development here, something that many comic books overlook. It’s wonderful to find that kind of potential in any series and hooray for Hardison if that’s how it plays out.
Bart Sears' art is completely solid. There isn’t a single panel that doesn’t fit the script. The real treat is the depiction of the helm itself, though; an inanimate object that simply oozes personality is something very, very special and speaks volumes about the talent involved. Nothing about the book is particularly pretty, but just like the dialogue, it’s appropriate.
On the first pass, The Helm isn’t all that impressive, but you might be surprised at how easy it is to slip into fondness for the work on the second go ‘round. It grows on you.
If you liked this article, you might also enjoy: ArchEnemies and Blue Beetle: Volume One
Lydia Ballard - A writer who got her start in the perilous world of fan fiction, Lydia Ballard is an aspiring comic book writer and self proclaimed lover ...
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