Huck #3

huck 3
Written by Mark Millar
Drawn by Rafael Albuquerque
Published by Image Comics

PREVIOUSLY: HUCK #2

Taking place not too long after the events of the previous issue, we see Huck completing the remaining tasks he was asked to do. First, in the gritty urban streets of New Jersey he travels to crack house to find a couple’s missing teenage daughter who is all strung-out. The gangbangers around her try to stop him, but Huck makes short work of them. Then in Maine he helps find a little boys missing dog who was trapped in a cave. The public loves hearing of Huck’s heroic deeds, making him a media sensation, and the Governor of his state quickly moves in to exploit this new, throwing a lavish black-tie banquet ostensibly to reward Huck, but really as a means of using him for the Governor’s political ambitions.

I continue to impressed with the way Mark Millar writes this character. Huck’s good-natured personality could come off as hokey if done wrong, like a sort of “golly gee” character from Mayberry, but he just seems like a gentle soul who genuinely wants to help people. Huck is such a radical departure from Millar’s typical leading men, and it’s a very refreshing change. There are scenes where after Huck joins the banquet you can see all of these different people approaching him with their own selfish agendas, and Huck is just overwhelmed by it all. Despite all the glitz and glamour, he’s more concerned about a couple of stray cats in a ally that he saw from his hotel room’s window. There’s also another scene, with Huck alone in his room, that exemplifies the loneliness he feels from being abandonded as a baby, and it’s just heartbreaking.

But probably the best scene is near the end when Huck decides to ditch the party and go back home. As we see him racing at top speed through the streets and leaping into the air like the Golden Age Superman, there’s this gleeful grin on his face that shows that it’s during moments like that where Huck truly feels alive. And, of course, the issue once again ends with a classic Millar cliffhanger, that promises to explain more of Huck’s past.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t single out Rafael Albuquerque’s artwork for praise. As I’ve said from the beginning his mix of retro/modern style fits the tone of this series perfectly. I was unfamiliar with his work before this series, but I continue to be highly impressed with each issue. This is a great story from a great creative team.