With the beginning of the new Dial H series by China Mieville and Mateus Santolouco, I thought it appropriate to begin a new thread dedicated to discussing the Dial H mythos.

Beyond the new series, we can talk about what came before. Robby Reed, Chris King and Vicki Grant, Hero Cruz, all of them.

What did people think of the first issue?

It looks like three dial owners have already appeared. Check this page for their appearance.

The boy with the glasses is possibly Robby Reed, and the couple in bed look like Chris King and Vicki Grant.

Love China Mieville! This is definitely on my list (haven't gotten it yet) and your review made it sound very enticing.

I only read a few of the initial Dial H run - then there was the execrable Lori Morning version... high hopes for this take on the concept!

I'm going to try this out too. Out of all the 'new 6', this one looked the freshest and most exciting.

I've read numerous Dial H series over the years and it's really never been my cup of tea. But it really works as a more esoteric type approach, which this seems like it'll be.

I'll give it two more issues to wow me. But so far, I'm not getting any sense of personality.

I loved the Pfeifer H-E-R-O series because it was a character study. Brilliantly executed. This one so far has yet to grab me.

When I was a kid, I loved the "Adventure" revival where you could send in your ideas. I never did, but I still thought it was cool.

I like this version. It's a bit more horror, which is fine if it doesn't get too gory. I think what sold me were the two heroes: Boy Chimney and Captain Lachrymose. They're just so weird, which I guess is Mieville's specialty. (I'd never heard of him before this.)

I just hope Mieville doesn't follow the path of many novelists turned comic writers and give up or fall waaaaaay behind.

This could be where Lori Morning makes her big comeback!

:ducks:

I'll admit I thought it was a little cheesy when I first saw that name, Boy Chimney. Finally reading the full issue made me ashamed of my reservations.

I found it simply fascinating!

Can't wait for #2!

#2 was enjoyable but not as good as #1, #3 was AMAZING.

Nelson Jent and Manteau bring you the amazing debut of Team House!

I can't wait to see # 3. I was lukewarm after # 1, but things are starting to come together in # 2.

Hmmm... superhero names like "Boy Chimney" make me think I should have picked it up...

OPEN.

WINDOW.

MAN.

How can it be that no one's mentioned that one of the villains is named "Ex Nihilo". Can other genderbending versions of Legionworlders be far behind?

What do you mean?

http://www.legionworld.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile;u=00001348

He's more active in other parts of Legion World.

Oh!

I thought you meant a callback to an obscure Legion character.

Hmph... a villain, indeed!

An editorially mandated character, no doubt. Is this how low we've sunk, Dan DiDio?

The problem with that character is that she wasn't developed organically within the storyline. She just seemed to appear out nowhere!

rimshot!

Ha!

One of my brain cells was like, 'I don't get it' and the other one slapped it and said, 'dumbass.'

The first story arc closes out rather anticlimatically. I'm still enjoying the off-the-wall identities, but I found Ex Nilo/Squid/The Abyss to not be very compelling threats. Despite spending 5 issues on them, they just seemed under-developed. That said, the brief appearance of the "shadow on the line" and its mastery of dialing was really cool. Setting it up as a dial hunter gives it all sorts of potential.

I am concerned about the upcoming artist shift, as this book has such a distinct tone, that I don't know if the Frankenstein artist (who's name escapes me), is up for the task.

I'm quite upset that the Onion thought of this before Dial H used it as a dialed hero. It would fit right in with "Pelican Army."

I think that was the point, that they were supposed to be seen as big threats when in reality they were little fish compared to Abyss. And Squid himself was more neutral and pragmatic than evil. He just wanted to find his companion and go home, but X.N. kept him stuck there and used him to try and find Abyss for her own purposes. She was the truly villainous one, but in the grand scheme of things she was just a little too proud and couldn't really match up to Abyss or the shadow on the line.

Hey guys, do you think maybe people should be sending in suggestions for new heroes to appear in Dial H like they used to?

More cancellation rumours.

One of the very rare books with an old woman and a fat man as the heroes. If it's cancelled, I'll be very sad to see it go. Mieville has done a good job of developing these two characters as everything around them changes, including their own superhero personae.

Agreed, this has been a great story with unconventional leads you can relate to and an interesting narrative. Plus, they're in Canada, and it's not one big joke after another.

I will be sad if it's on the block.

NO.

I'm actually thinking of buying an eBay lot of this because it sounds so quirky and indie. Plus, those Bolland covers are exquisite!

Can anyone push me over the edge here? Cobie, did you try this out like you said you planned to earlier in this thread?

I thought #1 was "okay" but never followed up. Admittingly, I was feeling pretty "no more DC unless I'm knocked off my chair" at the time.

I'll give you that push. It's creepy and it's kooky - great characters, great use of the H-Dial concept, very interesting "deep mystery" plot.

I'm seriously hooked.

Push! Push! Push! It's not like other DC books, and, until the Flash appeared (I haven't read that issue yet), had no connection to other DC characters. I think it's gotten stronger as it's progressed. Mieville is developing a complicated secret history for the Dial itself.

It's developing a nice deep mythology and the characters are unlike anything DC's had in a protagonist role in a long time (if ever). My only criticism is they are definitely playing the long game on the plot, which tends to mean you have to refresh yourself on what's happening every few months, but I imagine in one sitting this wouldn't be an issue.

Okay, guys....I just received an eBay lot of Dial H issues 0-9. Those 10 issues only cost me $8.95 + $3.75 S&H! Whether I love it or hate it, $12.70 ain't a bad price to pay for 10 books with EXQUISITE Brian Bolland covers!!!

I'll let y'all know what I think!

I really liked the Flash issue. It was great to see Nelson simultaneously freaking out about his night with Roxie and coping with controlling Flash's speed. I also liked how the ramifications finally hit them about how the dial works. And finally, the Centipede/Fixer combo looks like they'll be a step up form the Ex Nihil/Abyss duo. Hope this book continues it's upward trajectory from here.

Four issues in....liking it a LOT! It's really too bad that such an entertaining book is being wasted on the DCnUCoke. With some tweaks I can see how this could have been the latest critical and commercial success over at Image. Yep, at DC it's doomed to be cancelled before the year is out, I'm sure, but I will enjoy the ride and appreciate its place among many cancelled series I forever hold in high esteem if this quality continues throughout.

BTW, I've already told my comic book guy to order/backorder issues 10 and up for me!

Glad you like it Paladin!

I was pleasantly surprised by the Flash issue, very creative, not your standard crossover at all. Miéville makes the dial so interesting, exploring not only its hidden history but how it actually works and what consequences may follow.

The notion of an S-Dial opens up a lot of territory, how it makes one feel and behave relative to the H-Dial.

The Nelson-Roxie relationship is so real - regrets, anger, annoyance combined with fundamental trust, caring and reliance.

I would've been so all over this series if I still bought DC Comics.

P.S. I'm sure most people are already aware of this but Abyss and Squid appeared in the old Adventure Comics run of Dial H.

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Abyss_(New_Earth)

I love it when writers reinvigorate obscure old characters.

Oh no, I heard about that last year.

They fought Chris King and Vicki Grant.

Also, that horribly racist Dial hero, Chief Mighty Arrow? Robby Reed dialed him during the Silver Age.

And Mieville made a sly dig at Alan Moore in #6 with "Golliwog."

As a general rule, I don't 'buy DC Comics' either, Blacula. I 'buy' comics that I think are worth getting. Dial H makes four DCnU comics I'm currently getting (or in one case--the LSH--just haven't had the heart to drop yet). I'm also currently getting Batman and Detective. None of those three have guarantees I'll continue buying them.

Dial H is possibly the most non-DCnU DCnU book I've seen so far. It has its own unique creative and quirky flavor to it like Secret Six had. It doesn't feel editorially-butchered like so many of the books are infamous for being. It sounds like even the Flash appearance, which I would assume has been the most editorially-driven thing to happen in this series, was well-received. Most of all, it's not the same old stale stuff that DC's been manufacturing lately.

If this is part of a personal boycott of DC, Blacula, then buy issues or collections of Dial H on the secondary market where DC won't see a dime. If it's something you think you'd enjoy, go that route!

I'm curious to read the Flash issue, btw. I'm wondering if the Flash himself appears as well or if it's just Nelse taking his form.

Do you want spoilers?




I was wondering if China Miéville's contract limited editorial interference or had something like no participation in DCnU events. Seems unlikely, given how they've dealt with other creators.

No spoilers necessary, Cramey. I'll have the book for myself soon enough!

As for the perceived lack of editorial interference, specifically how isolated the book seems, I'm pretty sure I heard that Dial H was originally supposed to be a Vertigo book before it got co-opted into the DCnU. Like, to the extent, that most of the early issues were written and planned out before that decision was made. I think with that factor, plus the likelihood that it wouldn't last long being obvious out of the gate, helped Dial H be what it is.

Or I could be totally wrong!

Thanks Paladin but I think my disappointment in DC is such that I couldn't even buy Dial H in back-issues at the moment. I can't even bring myself to buy any of Morrison's DCnU Batman Inc. run despite it being the third and final chapter of one of my favorite Batman stories ever.

I think a lot of time will have to pass before I can buy any DC comics post 2011.

Not even for Open-Window Man?

You know what's funny, yet really sucks at the same time? I betcha anything that if China Miéville had put a very slightly different spin on her concept for this book, omitted any cosmetic similarities to the "Dial H for Hero" DC property and then pitched the series to Image instead that this would be the latest in a string of Image red-hot launches instead of a book doomed to obscurity and imminent cancellation!

This book is as good as any of those launches and better than quite a few of them! It pisses me off royally that such a great book is so criminally overlooked because it's stuck in a mainstream line where anything unrelated to Batman, Superman, Justice League or GL has virtually NO chance of succeeding!

By quality alone, Dial H should be a top-tier seller. It's sad, really.

Um, China's a guy.

I stand corrected! But the other stuff I said applies!

Maybe it was partially doomed because those who remember the title didn't care for previous incarnations? Or at least not enough to pay 21st century prices for it.

(For me, I guess the latter part is the bar no book has managed to clear.)

And Dial H ends with issue 15, same month as LSH.

On the plus side, it gets an extra-sized send-off.

Well, can't say that DC didn't support this. I like that they've been trying to do "different" types of books in the new 52, but ultimately, comics are a business, and I understand that. 15 issues (plus the # 0) is plenty of time for it to find an audience, and it just didn't, I guess.

I knew when I recently dove in that Dial H was doomed, but I've no regrets! Dial H was definitely worth every penny.

One would think a critically acclaimed sci fi writer like Mieville would've been more of a draw.

You should read it some time, Eryk. I think you would most certainly dig it!

Issue # 13 was absolutely brilliant. I can't believe this book is getting cancelled. I mean, I can believe it, but it bothers me that writing of this quality is going to be disappearing from the monthly racks.

I'm sad, but not surprised to see Dial H go. After all, it was a story-driven series at a time where the only comics that sell are event-driven (I count being the subject of a major motion picture to be an event as well).

I blame the fans themselves for this. If they didn't flock like lemmings to every major crossover event from the big two (starting with Secret Wars, which was just a toy promotion, for dog's sake), the industry would not be in the sorry shape it's in now.

I don't see the relevance. What crossover was taking away potential sales from Dial H?

It's a strange book, with a very different art style, and it's based on a concept that had only small audiences in its prior incarnations (and that was a shame as well, I really loved the Wil Pfeifer H-E-R-O). I wish it had enough mass appeal for DC to justify continued publication, but it just doesn't. No "events" affected this book's run for good or ill.

It's a triumph that it lasted as long as it did. DC even tried to pump it up with a (loose) Flash cross-over, but I guess it didn't boost advance sales enough. But the one good thing that can be said of DC since the "New 52" is that they've been experimenting with some really off-beat stuff, and the wonderful, if brief, Dial H was a product of that.

#13 was a great, great issue. I loved the Graffiti world and the hero-in-training, and some much needed info-dump on the "dial bunch" but wrapped around a great little story.

Agreed, #13 rose above the already high standard of this series.

Dial H is definitely worth a re-read, but I'll wait until the story ends.