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| STILL ON THE SHELF #70 - HARD TIME Craig Reade DC, of the two major publishers, usually does a lot more than Marvel in promoting their new titles. At least in my opinion, that is. Even then, there are those that slip through the cracks. Not that DC didn’t promote the Focus line at all, it just didn’t get nearly the fanfare I thought it deserved. And even with the marketing that it did get, it seems that getting the word out isn't enough for some of these books. And now a couple of solid titles might suffer cancellation as a result. For those who don’t know, the idea behind Focus was to tell stories about ordinary people with super powers – people whose first instinct wouldn’t be to rush out and fight evil. While a couple of the titles seemed contrived and didn’t have a lot of depth, there are a couple that seem to have potential for long-term success. That is, if people buy them. Fraction and Touch, two of the weaker titles (in my opinion), already appear to have been cancelled at issue six. That leaves my two personal favorites of the line – Hard Time and Kinetic, teetering on the edge. I know there are a few of you who read these titles when they first came out, and didn’t really connect with them (Hard Time in particular has suffered a drastic loss in readers) – allow me this chance to make a case for you giving at least one of these titles a second chance. Cast of Characters Fifteen year old Ethan Harrow was a student at Caulfield High School before his life was turned upside down. He and his friend, Brandon Snodd, sick of being picked on by the jocks and other popular kids in the school, decide to stage a little stunt to get even. Dressed in shirts reading “Jocks Rot in Hell,” and rubber masks, they take over the school cafeteria using guns Ethan believes are loaded with blanks. In a confrontation with the school’s star football player, Brandon snaps and opens fire, injuring the quarterback and hitting a few others. Ethan attempts to stop his friend, but a mysterious force (seemingly from Ethan), burns a hole through Brandon’s heart, killing him. Ethan is subsequently brought up on charges, and sentenced to fifty years in prison for his crimes. Throughout the title, Ethan’s “powers” manifest themselves as a large spirit-like monster who roams the prison when he is agitated. Usually appearing when Ethan is unconscious or nearly-so, this spirit acts out on the urges that Ethan is far too weak to. Though this spirit usually does exactly what Ethan might like it to, he doesn’t know about it, and has no recollection of the spirit’s actions. He hears about the strange things that happen to people who have crossed his path, but has no idea that it is he who is causing them. Ethan is transported to the State Pen along with three other inmates. George W. Cole, a large black man who takes an interest in Ethan. Though not willing to stick his neck out for the kid, he does take every opportunity to impart wisdom to Ethan, in hopes that he might be able to beat the odds and survive in prison. Turo Lopez is a young, Mexican gang-banger who has no fear of the prison, believing that his fellow gang members already inside will be able to protect him. Lewis Gatherwood is a nervous, unassuming man who was convicted of raping a young black girl and crushing her head in with a rock. Though Lewis seems clearly repentant about his crime, he is obviously mentally unstable, and has a serious target on his back in the prison, with other convicts gunning for him because of the nature of his crime. Ethan’s cellmate is an older, irritable man named Curly Wallace. Curly is rarely seem outside of his cell, and works very hard to just stay out of everyone’s way. After 37 years in prison, he seems to be quite adept at surviving the prison. Though he doesn’t do much to help Ethan in any way, he always seems very happy that Ethan has managed to survive one more day in the prison. Preacher Gantry believes himself to be the hand of God in the prison. He passes judgment on other inmates, and dishes out punishment to those he believes God has condemned. Preacher’s thoughts on Ethan radically shift over the course of this title, he sees him as either an ally of the Lord or the spawn of Satan, depending on what is going on in the prison. “Cindy” is a young man that is probably exactly as you expect him to be by his name. He is very feminine, and is called “she” by the guards and other roommates. She shares a cell with one of the Aryan prisoners, who offers “her” protection. The Aryans use her as bait on more than one occasion, because of her unthreatening nature. Cindy gets Ethan into trouble just about every time they come in contact. Thoughts One of the key flaws in most of the DC Focus titles was their potential for longevity. In the case of Fraction in particular, it just didn’t seem that there was enough meat to the story to have it go on indefinitely. Those of you who read the first issue or two of Hard Time might have come to the same conclusion about this title, but over the past several issues, Steve Gerber has done a fantastic job expanding Ethan’s world in such a way that this series could go on for quite some time. In the other Focus titles, everything rests on the powers of the protagonists – how they come to grips with and use these abilities is a key aspect of the story, In Hard Time, Ethan’s abilities are nothing more than a tool that the main character occasionally uses to advance an already interesting story. The story really is key in Hard Time – how a child could survive in an adult prison population makes a good story on its own. The powers add another dimension to the story, and allow Ethan to survive in situations where he should end up dead. His survival just serves to make things worse for him. Though there is no direct proof that Ethan is responsible for the spirit’s actions, most people believe he is linked to it, and those who fall victim to it, and their allies, seek out Ethan for revenge eventually, making his life all the more dangerous. One thing I would be remiss if I didn't tout for a moment is the recap page in each issue of Hard Time. It is layed out like a normal comic page might be, complete with panels depicting the major happenings of the last issue (or so), with narration boxed filling you in on key points that you need to take note of. It is a clever and effective way of handling the recap - done in such a way that even those who dislike that as a feature wouldn't be too distracted. I can't imagine that this hasn't been done before, but it is the first time that I noticed it. It does an effective job of giving you everything you need to know without having to flip through the previous issue to get caught up, and reads just like the beginning of a comic might. Very well done, and very good for the new reader looking to jump oboard. All of the books in the Focus line share a similar artistic feel. The style of drawing does vary a bit, but it is the muted colors of Avalon Studios that give the books a universal feel. I really didn’t like it so much at first, but with each issue, I find it harder to imagine the book colored any other way. In the case of Hard Time, the tone of the story itself is so dark that the coloring style is actually appropriate. The art itself is solid – the characters are distinct and easily identifiable. I did have some trouble with the look of some of the guards, as it is at times difficult to tell what sex they are. I know they are supposed to be men, but the chest is drawn in such a way on some of them so that it almost looks like they have breasts. Not that they are drawn in a “sexy” way, mind you, it is just a bit confusing to see a guard that you would swear is a woman, except for the mustache… Bottom Line Hard Time deserves a second chance, or a first one, if you haven’t read it yet. While I do think that DC was a bit too ambitious with the Focus line itself, Hard Time does deserve to continue on despite that miscalculation. I would love to see this title find its way over to Vertigo, I think it would be an excellent fit there. A trade collecting the first six issues of Hard Time will be released – in October, if I am not mistaken. Hard Time #7 was recently released on August 4th, with the next issue coming out the first Wednesday in September. Check it out – Hard Time is worth a look. Now, if I can get the Big Bossman's theme music out of my head, I might be able to get some sleep tonight! Credit Where Credit is Due Hard Time is Written and Created by Steve Gerber, Drawn by Brian Hurtt, with Colors by Avalon Studios, Letters by Pat Brosseau, Edited by Joan Hilty and Harvey Richards (Assistant), and Published by DC Comics. |
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