Hardware: Season One: #1 Review - Not Just a Black Iron Man
Writer: Brandon Thomas | Pencils: Denys Cowan | Publisher Milestone/DC Comics
I didn’t read many Milestone comics in the ’90s. During the Milestone heyday I had limited income and except for Static none of the character designs stood out to me and the diversity of the cast of heroes wasn’t enough to pull me away from X-Men or Daredevil.
I’m older now with a little more disposable income and figured I’d check out the 2021 incarnation of Milestone. First impressions can make or break a title and although the Black Iron Man tag fits Hardware, the character isn’t a reskin or ripoff.
Curtis Metcalf is a prodigy with a humble upbringing. This catches the attention of Edwin Alva, who gives him all of the resources necessary to succeed in life. He also sees Curtis as an investment, which eventually bears fruit as he introduces tech innovations that could potentially change the world.
The book flashes forward to the present as Curtis has been framed for initiating the ”Big Bang”. The event which creates the Dakotaverse. The rest of the comic pits Hardware against Alva and his forces.
Brandon Thomas does a great job setting up this series. I have a nice understanding of what Hardware can do in a fight. The motivations of lead characters are also laid bare in this issue. I appreciate that the creative team didn’t drag the setup for the series out several issues for a trade. This is almost unheard of in the current landscape of mainstream titles.
The design of Hardware is a unique, powerful, and imposing figure among modern superheroes. The character design isn’t my favorite but it works and Denys Cowan’s frenetic style makes blends perfectly with the script which is already engaging in its own right.
The only knock I have for the issue is how race is used in the issue. The race of the leads is pointed out several times in the story. My problem is that the racial element is obvious. Comics are a visual medium and the power dynamic between Metcalf and Alva is obvious. The narrative would be even stronger if readers were able to come to these conclusions for themselves, sometimes less is more. The racial angle also feels out of place because both characters acknowledge the Surrogate Father/Son relationship between the two. As a father in a blended family, I’d never look at my child as my “White” kid in any serious way. The material would work better if the rift was a break in between Father and Son.
Aside from the current year gripes, Hardware: Season One #1 is a solid introduction to Milestone and this character. The issue is a lot of fun and I’m excited to see where this story goes. There is a lot of interesting material here and the action is top-notch. You can do a lot worse. This is a lot more interesting elevator pitch of a Black Iron Man story.
In Short: Hardware Season One: #1 delivers a lot of action and intensity. giving us a new take on an Iron-Clad classic.