Joe Hero is something I’ve been needing to cover for a while because it’s that good. I first found out about this indie series through CBR and after seeing Calvin Nye’s efforts to get this out to people, I just had to support it. Since I was too late for an unsuccessful Kickstarter, I found a way to donate money every week to see it come forth. And it’s more than worth it every time.
What Did CBR See?
Being in the right place and right time is always a big help. At LA Comic Con 2022, Joe Hero gets what so many indie comics only wish they could get. A spotlight with 9 other indie titles. Imagine what it’s like for someone with so little resources to get something like this on one of the US’s premier comic websites. With how expensive it is to get a table at a con this big, it’s pretty much like winning the lottery. Which is twice as huge since Nye’s history on Kickstarter says he only had one successful campaign. So imagine that CBR representative’s surprise when the five issues tell a compelling story about a superhero coming into his own despite being autistic.
Joe Hero: Autism Without Pandering
Now I have to put this out there; this series is not about dramatizing oppression on people. This is also not about making people apathetic to neurodivergence into villains. Talking heads do not make these issues easier to deal with, that’s just pandering!
(Sigh)… excuse that…
I’ve just seen too many of these lately: “inclusive” or “socially relevant” stories made with lazy writing. After seeing “diversity”, “inclusivity”, and “representation” so many times as a gimmick, they’ve lost whatever importance they had with me. I’m on the autistic spectrum and I’m primed to ignore any new announcement about autism in corporate media.
For these kinds of topics, the independent market tends to handle it better with layers, consequences, and expressing the feeling. Joe Hero does that for how superheroes handle autism, especially as a young adult.
Meet Kevin Carter
Kevin is a very relatable character to a lot of people who aren’t neurodivergent, especially the ones without a life direction. He wants to follow his instincts and do what he’s good at. But he has to do it all without any formal training, supervision, or connections. Why? Because no one wanted the trouble of doing extra work or precautions of autistic outbursts. Except Kevin’s parents, but they’re often too busy as the world’s greatest power couple and they’re barred from taking him on as a sidekick.
It’s like this: Kevin was supposed to lose his powers by law since his disability is seen as a liability.
What?
Uh…Are you taking care of a dog while walking on eggshells because the dog might bite you? That’s basically how the super bureaucrats feel about Kevin. But because Kevin’s parents and his doctor didn’t like that, they kept his powers hidden with an inhibitor.
Now imagine what would happen if word ever got out. That’s the background threat to a hero who deactivated his belt to help people in need. How would you feel if expressing yourself was illegal over something you had no control over?
What If They Were Right?
But the more memorable moments in Joe Hero come from the moral grey areas. Readers naturally share Kevin’s enthusiasm to be a superhero, even if it does look reckless to a few characters. Remember, Kevin has no training and a social handicap. So he’s unable to recognize that he scared a lady and assumed that giant construction robots were bad guys. This makes the reader feel that maybe that super guild had a point. Which is a hard pill to swallow, especially when Joe can’t defend himself when a police lieutenant reminds him that he’ll be in his parents’ shadow.
Not that having Awesome Man and Starwoman in his corner is a bad thing. They’d fight tooth and nail for him, understand how hard being a superhero is, and they work around their limitations to support Joe. A checklist for example gets Joe on the right path. But there are also times when readers share Kevin’s frustration with his parents. Kevin is technically an adult, so wanting to be treated like one mixed with his parents wanting him to quit after he got shot comes pretty hard. It feels like a betrayal after they made sure Kevin wouldn’t lose his powers. But it’s hard to blame them too.
Joe Hero: On Direction
The best thing about this series is how a change in perspective makes the biggest difference. Kevin’s growth as Joe Hero is a classic late bloomer’s journey. Things looked pretty bad at first, but a growing awareness to his handicaps makes Kevin aware of surrounding limitations. Knowing those allow for creative decisions that seem odd in hindsight. Like why did Awesome Man or Starwoman not come up with portable versions of some combat medicine like their son did. Or maybe for the reader…why did that bitter lieutenant give Kevin’s love interest Cindy Valentine a new direction instead of arrest her for graffiti?
Because people can get so used to things being done a certain way, they get complacent. It’s that state that make people lose direction with the danger of getting into bad crowds. That lieutenant for example wants to see people’s character on the same level as their talents. So when he bluffs a group into giving Cindy up, it’s to show her how bad this crowd is. Hence why he offers to give Cindy something better thanks to his friend. Why keep the problem going when you can get to the root of it and change to something better?
A little empathy and self-assertiveness can go a long way. Hopefully enough to make that guild change their minds. Even if it that goal seems so far away.
Joe Hero: Normalize, Never Pander
Now you probably have an idea why this indie series got the attention of some people. Calvin Nye took the risks to make Joe Hero the best comic it can be. By showing life with autism through a fantastic lense, there’s a genuine sense of relating to someone going through struggles and needing the right direction. Because stories much like people are more than their labels, but a lot of people tend to miss that.
Kind of like the production of the album. Can you imagine the stress of trying to market an indie comic without connections? On platforms that take more than they give? Because this can burn creators out of comics altogether since they never seem to go viral. Nye is on the spectrum and I can tell you from my own experiences that it takes twice the effort to manage marketing alone. Everything has Nye’s back against the wall and yet someone took the time to look through and find a real gem. One that is practically comparable to 9 other great independent stories.
That alone made me want to look at Joe Hero and I’m glad I did. So I can tell you in rating that the album alone is 9/10. And there is more to come.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.