Skyman (Comics) Preview

Dark Horse Comics’ newest hero takes to the sky… and lands on a President?

Skyman is Dark Horse’s latest hero in what’s fast becoming a very solid superhero universe that the publisher is putting together with other titles like X and Captain Midnight. Crested by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Manuel Garcia, Skyman looks to have a heck of a lot more going on than most superhero books too with a military theme and a hero who might be finding himself at odds with his own team.

The suit that Skyman wears is pretty incredible and imbues him with all kinds of comic book-staple powers and abilities- flight, healing and super-strength among them. There’s also a dark secret about the Skyman program though as things like a somewhat murky agenda (which if you’re reading Captain Midnight is a little less opaque) are mentioned in the preview sent over by Dark Horse and mention of a remote control that could be used if Skyman were to get out of control.

A military-sponsored hero is nothing new of course, but one that just might be something of a patsy is news to me. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a superhero book where the main character was created to keep the attention off of something or someone else and it’s a really cool idea. Wag the Dog scenarios are something that a large number of people have become accustomed to whenever something big happens on the world stage in real life- why not do something like that in a comic? A superhero would almost be the ultimate version of such a plan when you think about it.

I’ve gotta believe that there’s little else that can completely grab hold of the public’s attention like a man flying through the sky, fighting for freedom and slamming the bad guys. Personally, I know it’d do the trick for me anyway and I’m more than a little intrigued to see what Dark Horse, Fialkov and Garcia have in store for Skyman- and just what will happen when he runs into the Captain again…

If you are too, you can catch Skyman #1 when it glides onto retail shelves this Wednesday, January the 15th. In the meantime, click the preview to the left to get a sneak peek at what’s on the way.