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Hell Yeah, Vol. 1: Last Day on Earths
Today is the worst day of Benjamin Day's life. He's the poster child for the first generation raised in a world where superheroes exist, but he wants nothing to do with super-anything. When versions of himself from throughout the multiverse show up dead, this one-man crisis of infinite selves tears open twenty-year-old secrets. Ben's now forced into the super-society he's long denied. Eisner award-winner and writer Joe Keatinge and illustrator Andre Szymanowicz team to bring the comic described by Third Eye Comics' Steve Anderson as "Watchmen for the Kick-Ass Generation." Features an introduction by the acclaimed creator of Madman and iZOMBIE, Michael Allred.
Includes issues 1-5 of HELL YEAH.
Includes issues 1-5 of HELL YEAH.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 9, 2014
This book starts and ends on its best feature, an interesting plot - parents aren't what they seem, hero is an under-powered supe, dimension-hopping abounds.
I can hear the guitar riff under some of the splash panels - "this is COOL man, you ever seen a hero grab his girl's ass?" Um, yeah - never been hit with the subtle stick have you?
I found it a little hard to follow time jumps and possible character overlaps (how many Bens from different realities are in the same scene? And when we're seeing scenes jump cut from one to the other, are they always moving forward in time, sometimes backwards, or are we jumping dimensions? I don't mind a little healthy confusion to challenge the reader, but I'd say this was just poorly executed - no reader should ask *that* many questions about a three page sequence (which I did). We could use a little colour scheme cue, or at least a little captioning. Two issues in, I am not following the costumes/clothes - which tells me they weren't so much deliberately chosen for their continuity assistance as they were just random changes of clothes.
Dialogue sounds a little clunky in places - most of the places where there's be tension and inter-character conflict. After his school is blown up, the Hero says, "I'm more than a little torn here. I mean, I was never a fan of this place. Then again, blowing up buildings is rarely a good thing." Joe, coulda used a couple of rewrites on the script dude. That sounded about as concerned about a life-altering event as getting a hangnail. Also, you've got multiple characters using the same odd phrasings.
Maybe Keatinge thinks it'll be post-modern ironic, to have all the characters act so blasé when they should be freaking out? If so, shoulda picked an artist who can get his characters to "act" better.
Art feels a bit off - like everyone has been punched in the face and have bruises or broken bones. Serviceable panels but nothing more interesting than a newspaper comic would convert basic script to basic layouts - maybe some better use of the whitespace would help? Then there's silly things like excessive blood sprays that more resemble an exfiltration by big worms escaping the confines of their body prisons, than a fun or exaggerated violence (which is otherwise out of place among these pseudo-realistic panels).
Frankly, I don't even get the title of this book. It's not anyone's catch phrase, and it's not a description of something so over the top amazeballs that I can hardly believe it got printed (I'd reserve the term for say Fraction's Casanova or Way's Umbrella Academy - both, coincidentally, illustrated by the Moon/Ba brothers). Why oversell your book *and* give us such a weak pitch for what this is about? Is the target audience 13?
And yet despite all my complaints, we get to the end and I feel like I want to read further. This book is all about weak execution but damned if there isn't an interesting kernel of an engaging story here. Keatinge finally drops some bombshell ideas into the until-then unexciting mix, and damn him.
I can hear the guitar riff under some of the splash panels - "this is COOL man, you ever seen a hero grab his girl's ass?" Um, yeah - never been hit with the subtle stick have you?
I found it a little hard to follow time jumps and possible character overlaps (how many Bens from different realities are in the same scene? And when we're seeing scenes jump cut from one to the other, are they always moving forward in time, sometimes backwards, or are we jumping dimensions? I don't mind a little healthy confusion to challenge the reader, but I'd say this was just poorly executed - no reader should ask *that* many questions about a three page sequence (which I did). We could use a little colour scheme cue, or at least a little captioning. Two issues in, I am not following the costumes/clothes - which tells me they weren't so much deliberately chosen for their continuity assistance as they were just random changes of clothes.
Dialogue sounds a little clunky in places - most of the places where there's be tension and inter-character conflict. After his school is blown up, the Hero says, "I'm more than a little torn here. I mean, I was never a fan of this place. Then again, blowing up buildings is rarely a good thing." Joe, coulda used a couple of rewrites on the script dude. That sounded about as concerned about a life-altering event as getting a hangnail. Also, you've got multiple characters using the same odd phrasings.
Maybe Keatinge thinks it'll be post-modern ironic, to have all the characters act so blasé when they should be freaking out? If so, shoulda picked an artist who can get his characters to "act" better.
Art feels a bit off - like everyone has been punched in the face and have bruises or broken bones. Serviceable panels but nothing more interesting than a newspaper comic would convert basic script to basic layouts - maybe some better use of the whitespace would help? Then there's silly things like excessive blood sprays that more resemble an exfiltration by big worms escaping the confines of their body prisons, than a fun or exaggerated violence (which is otherwise out of place among these pseudo-realistic panels).
Frankly, I don't even get the title of this book. It's not anyone's catch phrase, and it's not a description of something so over the top amazeballs that I can hardly believe it got printed (I'd reserve the term for say Fraction's Casanova or Way's Umbrella Academy - both, coincidentally, illustrated by the Moon/Ba brothers). Why oversell your book *and* give us such a weak pitch for what this is about? Is the target audience 13?
And yet despite all my complaints, we get to the end and I feel like I want to read further. This book is all about weak execution but damned if there isn't an interesting kernel of an engaging story here. Keatinge finally drops some bombshell ideas into the until-then unexciting mix, and damn him.
Read
June 21, 2013Years back, I had an idea for a story in which all the main characters were the same person, in versions from various different parallel universes (by the nature of the set-up, it has to be a limited though large number, rather than truly infinite). In the intervening period, Neil Gaiman did something similar in one of his lesser collaborations, Interworld, but I always thought comics would suit it best, as a way to distinguish all the iterations at a glance without the CGI budget film or TV would need. This pretty much is that comic, and it's not bad. Though in amongst all the various, generally short-lived iterations of Ben Day, I especially liked supporting characters I Heart Lasers and Die!Die!Die!.
October 20, 2012
Writer Joe Keatinge does execute a fast paced story, and hopefully volume two will answer a lot of the questions raised in volume one. Such as why did super heroes come to this Earth? (this is a multiverse spanning story ergo multiple Earths). Why is Benjamin Day, a bit a of a college student slacker type so important? Who is his mother and what are the Kingdom protocols and agreements?
The raising of these questions come as a little back story is revealed. Ben has been killed on almost every other Earth, and he is one of the last Benjamin Days left standing.
Easter Eggs include Kurtzberg University for super heroes and a mystery man who looks like Stan Lee.
The raising of these questions come as a little back story is revealed. Ben has been killed on almost every other Earth, and he is one of the last Benjamin Days left standing.
Easter Eggs include Kurtzberg University for super heroes and a mystery man who looks like Stan Lee.
February 22, 2013
This is a Rock-N-Rollin good read. Time Travel and Alternate Dimension stories are bit tricky to tell. This one gets a bit mixed up at times and uses a few Time and Alternate diemnsion Travel Cliches; however, it is a fun mixed-up journey. The characters are colorful and larger than life. The artwork is amazing and very reminiscent of Mike Allred's style (which makes since that he is the author of the introductory page as their style influence). Very enjoyable and I look forward to the next volume.
March 11, 2013
I checked this out because I thought it would be similar to Kick-Ass and I was not disappointed! Lots of action, gore, and ass-kicking. I also loved the sci-fi element and the excessiveness of.. everything!
Can't wait for the next volume.
Can't wait for the next volume.
March 15, 2013
A little disjointed, but interesting. This is Keatinge's first book and it shows. But I can see why they tapped Mike Allred for the introduction. This book is full of Madman style and sensibilities. So I'd say if you like Madman, this one should read like a pair of comfy old shoes.
October 12, 2013
While I liked the book all right I thought some of the time travel moments and shifting scenes were sometimes confusing and a bit too much to ask of the reader. Perhaps my copy of the book was misprinted.
March 27, 2013
I am intrigued...could really go either way.
May 21, 2013
In terms of art, writing and themes it very desperately wants to be Invincible but the homage doesn't quite live up to the original.
February 5, 2016
This falls somewhere between a three and four star rating for me. I enjoyed the pace, and I liked the mystery of what is going on. I look forward to future issues.
February 8, 2014
Joe Keatinge - writer
Andre Szymanowicz - illustrator
Two decades ago, Sergeant Daniel Day was captured by enemy forces when his unit was wiped out in a military action during the Iraq-Kuwait war. Facing torture and death at the hands of Iraqi soldiers with no hope of rescue, Sergeant Day is saved in the nick of time by a group of Superheroes. This is the first recorded appearance of Superheroes, and serves to usher in a new era in human history.
Cut to the present - Ben Day, the son of Sergeant Daniel Day, wants nothing to do with "Superhero culture." Aimless and angsty, Ben tries his best to get kicked out of his prestigious superhero school by misbehaving and picking fights with the townies. But things get serious when an all-female band from an alternate-reality Earth shows up and destroys Bens' school in an attempt to find him. The band tells him that someone has been traveling between realities, killing each Earth's verion of Ben Day -- and he's next!
This graphic novel is really enjoyable. Keatinge's writing is great - very fast-paced action and nicely wrapped up in a super-hero mystery. The art by Szymanowicz is very nice as well. Recommended, for fans of graphic novels, super-heroes and mysteries.
4.5/5
Andre Szymanowicz - illustrator
Two decades ago, Sergeant Daniel Day was captured by enemy forces when his unit was wiped out in a military action during the Iraq-Kuwait war. Facing torture and death at the hands of Iraqi soldiers with no hope of rescue, Sergeant Day is saved in the nick of time by a group of Superheroes. This is the first recorded appearance of Superheroes, and serves to usher in a new era in human history.
Cut to the present - Ben Day, the son of Sergeant Daniel Day, wants nothing to do with "Superhero culture." Aimless and angsty, Ben tries his best to get kicked out of his prestigious superhero school by misbehaving and picking fights with the townies. But things get serious when an all-female band from an alternate-reality Earth shows up and destroys Bens' school in an attempt to find him. The band tells him that someone has been traveling between realities, killing each Earth's verion of Ben Day -- and he's next!
This graphic novel is really enjoyable. Keatinge's writing is great - very fast-paced action and nicely wrapped up in a super-hero mystery. The art by Szymanowicz is very nice as well. Recommended, for fans of graphic novels, super-heroes and mysteries.
4.5/5
January 21, 2015
First things first, I did enjoy this. There's no arguing that, but after seeing positive review after positive review I decided to touch on some negatives of this book.
1. The diverse world, although established and explained, was never quite explored. I believe that is a flaw. Perhaps they dive deeper into it in the next volume but I wish I would've seen more in here.
2. The art is far from bad, however, I couldn't help but wonder if the artist has only ever seen one woman. 85% of the women in this book look identical. That may have just been a personal perception but it was a big one for me. I had to figure out who was talking and then read their dialogue again.
3. The explanation of different versions of same character is, in my opinion, poorly exetcuted. It's almost like the writer was timid on how far to go with the idea. Some of the characters seem limited and, for what it's worth, throwaway.
All that being said, I enjoyed this and would recommend to a friend to read. Maybe not buy, but just read. They can borrow mine.
1. The diverse world, although established and explained, was never quite explored. I believe that is a flaw. Perhaps they dive deeper into it in the next volume but I wish I would've seen more in here.
2. The art is far from bad, however, I couldn't help but wonder if the artist has only ever seen one woman. 85% of the women in this book look identical. That may have just been a personal perception but it was a big one for me. I had to figure out who was talking and then read their dialogue again.
3. The explanation of different versions of same character is, in my opinion, poorly exetcuted. It's almost like the writer was timid on how far to go with the idea. Some of the characters seem limited and, for what it's worth, throwaway.
All that being said, I enjoyed this and would recommend to a friend to read. Maybe not buy, but just read. They can borrow mine.
March 28, 2013
All I have to say is wow. This story has a lot of twists throughout. Alternate Earths, travel between the different Earths (which is illegal by the Kingdom Protocols), superhumans, and superhumans dying. All this leads to a hectic story that is very entertaining to say the least.
Volume 1 combines the first five chapters of the comics. I an looking forward to reading volume 2 to, hopefully, answer the questions that arise throughout the TPB, like who and why is Ben Day so important and why have the other alternate hims are being killed. The book is frustrating but thoroughly entertaining
Volume 1 combines the first five chapters of the comics. I an looking forward to reading volume 2 to, hopefully, answer the questions that arise throughout the TPB, like who and why is Ben Day so important and why have the other alternate hims are being killed. The book is frustrating but thoroughly entertaining
February 13, 2013
This fantasy/sci-fi graphic novel was OK, but the story just didn't "grab" me (although the character named "Die!Die!Die!" was a nice touch). I felt as if I was just "dropped" into the middle without any backstory or explanation.
February 25, 2013
Too fast paced. Too many unanswered questions. All I know is that everybody has an awesome body no matter the universe you live in.
November 6, 2025
A good Origin story, too bad there was only one issue after this.
October 2, 2015
Ben Day has super powers. Unfortunately, his super powers aren't that great, and he lives in a world where having super powers doesn't really make you that special. Extra unfortunately, someone is cruising through the multiverse killing all of the other Ben Days. Soon, he finds himself stuck in the middle of a conflict he doesn't understand as various people from across the multiverse converge on his reality.
The basic premise-a kid living in a world where superheroes have only been on the scene for generation discovers that everything isn't quite what it seems-seems solid enough, but hte execution here is a little lacking. Slacker Ben seems to take too much in stride, and doesn't really seem to be particularly phased by the weirdness erupting around him. More significantly, the central mystery-who is killing all the other Bens, and why?-remains mostly unsolved by the end. While we do discover the "who", the "why" component is completely untouched. Worst of all, the final few pages make everything that came before them meaningless. It felt like there was supposed to be at least another 10 or 20 pages of material that somehow got left out.
The basic premise-a kid living in a world where superheroes have only been on the scene for generation discovers that everything isn't quite what it seems-seems solid enough, but hte execution here is a little lacking. Slacker Ben seems to take too much in stride, and doesn't really seem to be particularly phased by the weirdness erupting around him. More significantly, the central mystery-who is killing all the other Bens, and why?-remains mostly unsolved by the end. While we do discover the "who", the "why" component is completely untouched. Worst of all, the final few pages make everything that came before them meaningless. It felt like there was supposed to be at least another 10 or 20 pages of material that somehow got left out.
March 22, 2014
I understand that you want to have more questions than answers in a story, but that does sort of infer you have some answers. This book doesn't provide many. It keeps going off on tangents, leaving so many plot threads hanging the book has a fringe. And the art doesn't help - all of the female characters seem to be variations on the same woman. Which may be intentional, or maybe not; the story doesn't justify it. The concept of multiple dimensions and a variation on one guy whose parallel versions are being killed off is very similar to the movie 'The One,' blended with a soap opera. It may grow to be something better, but this first volume really isn't very fulfilling.
October 17, 2012
Well that was disappointing. The idea behind the series may have been interesting if I could get over the appalling execution. The art, plotting and dialogue were all poor. The dialogue ... The jokes were awful although may have worked better with a better artist. Worst of all at the end of the story you still have no idea what is going on. Loose plot threads are okay but the book just stops. I'm pretty forgiving of my funny books but this was not worth the $8 I paid.
October 7, 2016
There's a lot of good ideas here. Superheroes coming from a parallel world and changing everything. Protagonist Ben's mother coming across time to wipe out all his multiversal counterparts, while Ben's girlfriends try to stop him. Some mysterious figure who looks like Commissioner Gordon. While I'm used to stories that hold back a lot of information to build up a mystery, this builds up so much it doesn't make any sense and I don't care about the revelation. So not going back for Vol. 2
October 19, 2012
Issue one had such promise, but the multiple reality narrative got a bit jumbled and the early shocks and twist were developed and built upon well. Might try Vol 2 at a push... Will give Keatinge another try with his new Morbius comic for Marvel in January 2013...
February 8, 2013
Bad art. If you don't agree, let's sit down and look over it together. Note: if a character is looking sideways, you should not be able to see BOTH EYES. Creepy.
April 4, 2013
meta-comics are a dime a dozen in modern age (esp. Image) but this beats the rest. Clever! Too little character development.
June 25, 2016
42nd book read in 2015.
Number 144 out of 470 on my all time book list.
Review Pending:
Number 144 out of 470 on my all time book list.
Review Pending:
June 13, 2016
3.5 stars
August 14, 2019
A cool concept, but unfortunately suffers from a lack of a fully fleshed-out universe. Worth the read for its art and character design, though.
September 28, 2013
Yeah, I didn't care for this one much.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews