Writer: J. Andrew Clark
Art: David Wachter
Publisher: Ronin Studios
There's that film with Bob Hoskins in it, playing a Yank again. He's a nasty bigoted copper who gets a heart transplant from a more humane individual, who then appears to Bob in visions, imploring him to lead a better life and stop eating junk food. It was most likely described as "the ultimate buddy movie" at the time, and of course it bombed. Scar Tissue has the same idea, but this time an average bloke gets a much-needed heart transplant courtesy of a megalomaniacal supervillain. I didn't much like the Hoskins movie, but the idea works very well here.
Of course, Ben, the average bloke gets powers, and of course, he's reluctant to make use of them. So far, so average. But the premise holds a lot of potential for interesting stories, and it certainly looks like Clark is going to tell some of them; not only have you got the contrast in personalities between Ben and the lingering presence of his donor Grundoom, and quite possibly a more severe conflict between the two further down the line as their lifestyles and philosophies clash, but you've got the standard superheroic power and responsibility tension, as well as the fun to be had from Grundoom's old enemies looking for Ben in order to finish the job. The writer certainly won't have to look hard for plots.
The characters show potential depth, but they're not amazingly interesting at this point; however, the strength of the core concept should be adequate to carry the title long enough for characters to develop.
The art is a bit more of a mixed bag; in general, it's an impressive job, with good figure work and strong storytelling, but just occasionally, a weak, sketchy panel will sneak in. However the colouring more than makes up for any weaknesses in the lineart, as a combination of grey tones overlaid with digital colours gives the comic a rich and yet subtle palette that is quite attractive.
I should be disappointed in this comic; one big benefit of independent publishing is the ability to break out of the US industry's creative rut, and a superhero book obviously isn't going to do that. But the premise is more than good enough to justify the comic's existence and the creators just have to back this up with good stories. The potential is certainly there.
Oh yeah, and the film’s called Heart Condition, in case you were wondering.
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