Comic Book Review: The Cape #1

The Cape #1

Written by: Jason Ciaramella, based on the short story "The Cape" by Joe Hill

Art by: Zach Howard

Colors by: Nelson Daniel

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Published by: IDW Publishing

Cover Price: $3.99

Joe Hill is making a name for himself amongst horror literature fans with his 2005 collection of short stories, 20th Century Ghosts and his 2007 novel Heart-Shaped Box. Most recently he's published Horns in 2010 and been working on the IDW horror/fantasy comic Locke & Key. I've learned that when Joe Hill is involved, I need to give it a read.

So when The Cape came out on July 27th, I had to pick it up. As a child, Eric found a cape which allowed him to fly, but after an accident, he thought the cape was gone. But he finds it again as an adult.

So what happens when a punk kid, well, punk grown-up, gains superpowers in a normal world? Does he believe that with great power comes great responsibility? Or something else?

Eric's ex-girlfriend has been found dead and the police ask him questions, take some hair samples, etc. What will Eric do with the cape?

We've had common man find supernatural artifact to become a hero like Matthew Blurdy in "The Helm" from Dark Horse Comics. And villains are all the rage these days and getting their own series. But Hill's story isn't about a world conquering megalomaniac or even a spandex class sociopath. It's a normal guy finding he can do what others can't...and abusing it. In a world with Captain America or Superman, he's be nothing, but in a world where the only justice, the only avenging of wrongs, comes from the police...the average joe with a little power can become a frightening villain.