Mathew Burdy is a typical guy—works at a video store, rides around on a motorcycle, and enjoys time with his “lady love,” Jill. However, when dumped by said girlfriend and fired from said video store, Matt rides off on his trusty steed…well motorcycle, and ends up at a random garage sale to waste time before he has to go home. While browsing the sale he stumbles upon a helmet that talks to him about superpowers and heroes and how he’s the almighty chosen one to fight the forces of darkness. Who wouldn’t want that right?
The helmet, appropriately named The Helm, is the special accessory to the chosen “Valhalladrim,” and now belongs to Matt. However, the Helm isn’t too thrilled to find out that “the chosen one” isn’t Superman, but rather, a regular guy who lives with his mother and loves to eat pizza. The Helm manages to train Mathew, and even has him kill some people, but when Jill comes realizes what’s going on, she insists that Matt is crazy and should be committed.
Written by Jim Hardison, The Helm is an ironic spin to the “destiny” and “saving the world” genre that leaves readers laughing and craving more. The Matt-Helm love-hate relationship brings reality to the fantasy world by turning an over-weight nerd into a warrior who gets the girl, and by doing it with healthy dieting and exercise—and a bit of screaming, yelling, and criticism. Hardison captures both characters very well, showing how big the heart of a nerd really is. He also attempts to shed light on how stereotypical the hero genre is—The Helm doesn’t want a “cringing, effete, chubby piglet” as his wearer, but is stuck with him until dear Matt dies.
Bart Sears captures Mathew and The Helm very well with his pencils, giving a very realistic feel to the comic and bringing the reader right into the story. With the inks done by Randy Elliott, the Helm is vibrant and alive—making hobgoblins and necromancers seem like everyday commodities while still managing to leave Mathew looking geeky enough for the rest of us. The art stays tight and real, never becoming outlandish or leaving things to the imagination, but rather making sure that the reader knows exactly what is going on the universe of Mathew Burdy.
The four-part miniseries from Dark Horse brings an unlikely hero to face evil and does so without going over the top, instead making the characters everyday people—people that you may see walking down the street or jogging to class to make the bell—and bringing a refreshing story into the hero mix. With massive story arcs happening in both DC Comics (Final Crisis) and Marvel (Secret Invasion), Dark Horse stays new and gives readers a nice step away from overlapping dramas—giving us Matt and the Helm, the most unlikely hero team to hit comics, but also gives us the question for the conclusion—is Matt really the Valhalladrim, Savior of the World, or is he just a comic book guy that’s spent too many hours playing WoW? Either way, look for the exciting conclusion to the Helm, hitting comic stores soon.
Reviewer rating: 4 elephants