Review -- LAZERMAN

Lazerman
Created & Written by Alan Hebert Jr.
Art by Chris Hebert
HB Comics
Talk about a retro feel to a comic, I got that in spades when I read the first four issues of Lazerman created by Alan Hebert Jr.. The story had a sort of early Spiderman feel, mixed with a touch of DC’s Booster Gold, partly because of Lazerman’s yellow costume, but also because of the use of humour as a major element of the storyline.
Humour can be one of the toughest things to carry off, whether as a stand up comic, in a movie, or in a comic book, and Hebert does it rather well.
The story is also about a young man realizing he suddenly has superpowers. He finds out being the hero he always dreamed of being is not as easy as one might expect, even if you have powers. Yes that was the early premise of Spidey, but that element has long been lost in mainstream comics. That innocence is refreshing again with Lazerman.
Alan Hebert said he wanted to create something of a throwback title.
“It really comes down to a love for classic superheros, particularly the classic Marvel and the DC heroes,” he said. “Super heroes made in the last 20 years are not like those iconic characters. I wanted something that reflected them, not the more modern, grittier heroes. My sense of humor made me also want something that I could satire those heroes with. Lazerman is the perfect mix of those two aspects …
“As I stated before, the “classic” heroes are the biggest influences. I’m a huge fan of Stan Lee’s early Marvel work. The writer who had the most influence on me though was Peter David. His run on Incredible Hulk is what got me into comics.”
Alan Hebert said as a result he actually looks at the character as something that has developed since his youth.
“It actually took us 15 years from a development standpoint,” he said. “We've gone through multiple scripts and drafts, but what ultimately happened is we grew up with the characters. We learned a lot during that development phase, and we taught ourselves how to create comics in the process. I think we ended up with a much better book as a result.
“Fifteen years is a long time to work on a character. It’s enough time to think about just about every aspect of him. What we had, before the first issue even hit, was a fully developed character. We knew exactly who Lazerman, and the characters around him were, as well as where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do with him.”
Chris Hebert’s art is perfect for the story. It has a ‘cartoon’ look, reminiscent of Archie comics, and it’s a nice contrast to the ‘steroid-enhanced superhero-look’ of most comics in the genre today.
Matching art-style to the writing is important, and with Lazerman they have achieved that balance.
Chris Hebert said the series brought focus to his work.
“Well, when I first started Lazerman, my own style was very much in flux,” he said. “I had spent a lot of time trying to emulate Jim Lee and what I considered the "standard" comic book style. As I started Lazerman, I had just begun to accept that my own style was a leaning a bit more towards the ‘cartoony’ side, and instead of fighting it had finally decided to embrace what was coming naturally to me.
“Ironically, Joe Maduera and Ed Mcguinist had just come into the limelight at the time, and they have been my strongest influences ever since.”
Chris said the art may not have started out as the vision of the comic, but it has evolved to fit what they are doing with the title.
“It's funny, because Alan has always been a traditional guy,” he said. “I know he always pictured the most ‘classic’ look for what he crafted to be a ‘classic’ feeling character; like a George Perez or a Romita Sr.
“Of course then I came along with a very animation-esque style, something that I think is very different from that classic feel I know Alan favours.
“Ultimately I think like any good collaboration, or developing idea, it takes on a life of its own, and evolves.
“Now I don't think I could picture Lazerman looking any other way.”
So what’s next for the titles? Apparently zombies.
“We have so much planned for Lazerman, and our whole universe,” said Alan Hebert. “Lazerman’s next story arc ‘Night of the Necrolord’, going from issue #5 to issue #7, will involve zombies. I believe we have a completely original take on zombies, and I can’t wait till we publish the issues.”
This is not the best comic I have read in recent months, but for sheer fun it’s up near the top of the list.
It is also enough of a throwback to a subtler time in superhero stories that it is a welcome contrast to what passes as the norm these days.
You can follow Lazerman at http://www.facebook.com/l/cd83e;www.hbcomics.com, and they also run a weekly production blog, entitled the ‘LAZERBLOG’. You can find that on our MySpace page at http://www.facebook.com/l/cd83e;www.myspace.com/surge38
— CALVIN DANIELS

-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra