What do you do when every other masked vigilante has let you down? Who do you call when Spiderman disappears right before you need him the most? The Buzz (aka The Human Fly)! Today, I review “The Buzz Issue #1” (Ron Frenz, Tom DeFalco, Sal Buscema, P.T. Sharpefront, Mike Marts, Neil Yomtov)!
The comic opens with a fight scene. You’re not really sure what’s going on at first, but The Buzz quickly clears things up with “ I guess I should have started this story from the beginning…” while recapping the events that led up to the fight at the beginning. J. Jonah Jameson is hosting the unveiling of The Human Fly suit. He introduces his team: Dr. Sonja Jade, Richie Robertson, and Dr. Marla Jameson. Mr. Jameson’s grandson (JJ) is backstage, waiting to see who will occupy The Human Fly suit. He has a run in with Mr. Bannon (the man to wear the suit) and insults him by saying that he doesn’t look rich enough to fund the project OR smart enough to be working on it. Needless to say, JJ is shocked to hear that Mr. Bannon is the muscle behind the hero. Some say that the motives for creating such a suit are to control the person inside. Despite the rocky start, JJ and Mr. Bannon become best friends. JJ even goes so far as to say that Mr. Bannon is the only adult that listens to him and sees his opinion as valued/valid. Things take a turn for the worse as Dr. Jade is found to have turned bad. She’s attempting to steal the The Human Fly suit. Her followers walk Mr. Bannon down the hallway, guns buried in his back. He sees his chance and fights. With the help of Richie, the pair (JJ and Mr. Bannon) get away and head to man the suit. JJ notices that Mr. Bannon is pale and says something. Mr. Bannon insists that he was just grazed with a bullet. Just as Dr. Jade is about to finish off the Jamesons (at this point she’s stolen the data about the suit), ENTER THE HUMAN FLY! He saves the Jamesons as the building below them explodes. Does Dr. Jade get out? Does she get out WITH the information? The Human Fly tells them that they should head back to their laboratory ASAP. When they arrive, the Jamesons are greeted with a body bag holding Mr. Bannon. As the Jamesons ponder the identity of the person in The Human Fly suit, it is revealed to the reader that the inhabitant is none other than their grandson, JJ Jameson. He’s determined to defend Mr. Bannon’s honor and dubs himself “The Buzz”.
The relationship between Mr. Bannon and JJ definitely isn’t static. At first, they rub each other the wrong way. Over time, they spend more time together and “bond”. The motives behind JJ taking the place as The Human Fly, in my opinion, are the motives of an awesome hero in the making. Something that concerns me, however, is that Superheros with emotional motives, attachments, etc have those feelings as a weakness. It is much easier for a villain to manipulate someone when they know what hurts them the most. JJ had his only friend and adult that took him seriously taken away. He’ll never get him back, no matter how many lives he saves. If I were a villain, I’d definitely exploit this.
Creativity of Art: 5/5 This is what Comic Book art SHOULD be. It’s bright, bold, beautifully drawn…the shading is accurate and careful. I love looking at the work. The fight scenes are what really interest me. There’s one panel when The Buzz, jumping into the air, kicks in the faces of the bad guys around him. The background is bright orange and the giant, yellow words “Qwa Thwoom” take over the foreground. It’s a beautiful pop-art style that I love.
Creativity of Story: 4/5 I love the idea of a superhero that’s always there when you need them. I also love the idea that said Superhero allows themselves to possibly be controlled/manipulated beyond their control (after all, the suit connects to your brainwaves!). This could make for an interesting plot, especially if the information about how to control the hero falls into the wrong hands! There are so many possibilities here, and that keeps me interested. The classic story of “revenge for the person I love, who was killed by the bad guy” allows the reader to relate just enough to keep their interest.
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