SO, finally read this story. And I was curious…what is the general consensus when it comes to this story? The general idea, a secret sanctuary for superheroes to deal with their psychological issues gets attacked, is actually a good idea - but it is one that will end up being controversial regardless of how it turns out.
I have…mixed feelings. There are small moments that I liked. The idea of Wally West losing control even for a brief second due to him grieving over a wife he no longer has and kids that no longer exist is actually something worth exploring. But…I don’t think Tom King is the best choice for this. He has done great stuff, but a lot of what happens in this story just feels off. A number of characters also seem to be off, not quite acting and thinking like how they would usually act and behave.
I don’t know, what are everyone else’s thoughts about this story? I have a feeling it has a divisive reputation.
I’m not a big fan of it, it has good potential and the concept is great. However it is very poorly written and it feels like Flash fans got back handed in the face by DC. I don’t blame Tom King for it, it’s more Dan’s fault, but it could have been done in a better more interesting way.
They only good thing about HIC was that it was a self-contained “event”. It didn’t have a s*%t ton of tie-ins to make it the usual money grab. That said, it was a horrible story.
While it didn’t have any tie ins, it does have a sort of indirect connection to Doomsday Clock. By that I mean implied. Outside of a reference to the events in issue 6, Metamorpho was the one who confirmed the Supermen Theory and he did show up in HIC
Really there were only two things about it that I liked:
The Art
Mitch Gerads and Clay Mann are talented artists. Even when I hated what was happening on-panel, I didn’t hate how it was drawn.
The Confessions
The only time when I genuinely bought into the actual story of the comic was the confession pages. Done in nine-panel grids, they work on both writing levels (they were frequently clever and emotional) and art levels, with Gerads and Mann able to flex their subtlety muscles and make only small changes from panel to panel. It gives the feeling of an actual person talking to you.
Everything else about the book though? I really didn’t like. The “mystery” was contrived. The writing in any scene that wasn’t a confession had that Tom King-brand flattening of effect thing. Which is normally a thing that works and a thing I like, (see: Vision, Mister Miracle, Omega Men, etc.) but here it just made the book feel hollow. It keeps me at an arm’s length from the characters.
As for the story’s treatment of mental health issues… yikes. I don’t know if Tom King just didn’t understand the message that HiC dispensed or if he believes it and wants to get it out there, but nonetheless; HiC doesn’t understand depression or PTSD. It doesn’t understand how treatment works, and it certainly doesn’t understand the emotional impact of talking through trauma. Not to mention, a plot point in the book is that Wally feels bad for what he’s done, and tries to off himself.
This is portrayed as a good and healthy thing.
Point being, I really didn’t like this book. I didn’t even bring up its many, many structural issues, (the first six issues are essentially filler) it’s effect on the character of Wally West, or its misunderstanding of the Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman dynamic.
I was excited for the series, but it was a pretty big let down.
The overall premise was great. A look at the psychological impact of super heroics? Neat! With a side of murder mystery? Awesome! And Booster Gold is in it? Even better!
The reality was disappointing though. The sanctuary offered no therapy of any kind, and in certain instances (Lagoon Boy) bordered on self harm. The murder mystery kicked off with a unneccessary number of fatalities (for shock value, since it didnt really alter the plot) and the resolution was forced and made little sense.
Tom King has amazing ideas but they never seem to work. I think part of the problem is that he tries to force characters to act in ways that fit the plot, instead of using characters who would believably behave that way. Its distracting at best for characters to be acting out of character, and at worst its insulting to readers who have followed that character for years. Omega Men is another example of this. Cool idea, but he didn’t seem familiar with the lead character.
