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A review by murphyc1
Hardware: The Man in the Machine by Dwayne McDuffie
5.0
4.5 *s
I believe this was one of the best superhero introduction arcs I've ever read. While there were some elements of both the art and storytelling that date this comic to 1993 (for which I have deducted half a star), these are minor and generally more charming than aggravating.
I had a couple Milestone back issues as a comics-reading kid, but I didn't get them. I recall thinking that Static and Icon were cool, but that's about the extent of the impact they made on me. I see now that, at least in the case of Hardware, these characters and their stories were perhaps too complex and socially conscious for a ten-year-old whose reading at the time consisted mostly of Harvey comics and coverless Silver Age DC comics and reprints. However, if I couldn't appreciate my few Milestone comics back then, I certainly do now.
Dwayne McDuffie aimed for the fences with this one, shattered his bat to splinters, and hit someone's car out in the parking lot with the ball. McDuffie expertly plays with comic book superhero tropes, using a few in novel ways, disregarding several others, ultimately presenting the discerning fan a satisfying, thrilling, and (most importantly) a new experience.
I loved Hardware: The Man in the Machine, and I'm excited now to have a largely unfamiliar world of characters to explore more fully in the future!
I believe this was one of the best superhero introduction arcs I've ever read. While there were some elements of both the art and storytelling that date this comic to 1993 (for which I have deducted half a star), these are minor and generally more charming than aggravating.
I had a couple Milestone back issues as a comics-reading kid, but I didn't get them. I recall thinking that Static and Icon were cool, but that's about the extent of the impact they made on me. I see now that, at least in the case of Hardware, these characters and their stories were perhaps too complex and socially conscious for a ten-year-old whose reading at the time consisted mostly of Harvey comics and coverless Silver Age DC comics and reprints. However, if I couldn't appreciate my few Milestone comics back then, I certainly do now.
Dwayne McDuffie aimed for the fences with this one, shattered his bat to splinters, and hit someone's car out in the parking lot with the ball. McDuffie expertly plays with comic book superhero tropes, using a few in novel ways, disregarding several others, ultimately presenting the discerning fan a satisfying, thrilling, and (most importantly) a new experience.
I loved Hardware: The Man in the Machine, and I'm excited now to have a largely unfamiliar world of characters to explore more fully in the future!