Huck Issue #1 - Like a great big hug

Huck Issue #1 is written by Mark Millar, art by Rafael Albuquerque, colours by Dave McCaig, letters by Nate Piekos and published by Image comics. Huck has one of the most beautiful covers that has come out this year so I was going to pick up a copy for the cover alone but when I finished reading it I was left with a big grin on my face and the feeling you get after you just cuddled the fluffiest kitten in the world while drinking a hot chocolate made by your grandma, in short it gave me the warm and fuzzies.

My favourite cover of the year

The comic begins with Huck travelling quickly along a road, hitching on the tops of cars, running a great distance and diving off a cliff into the ocean and digging through debris looking for something special. When Huck finds what he came for he returns it anonymously to the surprise of its bewildered owner, Diane. Diane learns from her elderly neighbour, Mrs. Taylor, that Huck was left at the orphanage as an infant with simply a note that said "please love him" and was raised to do a good deed every day by the nurses at the orphanage. Diane also learns that Huck has some special abilities that help make his deeds extra special such as being able to find anything that's lost, strength, speed, stamina and kind hearted nature. Mrs. Taylor lets Diane know that the people of the town know about Huck's special talents but keep them a secret from the outside world. While Huck thinks of his next good deed he sees a news report about some missing school girls and decides his other good deeds can wait.

The art of Huck is gorgeous the beautiful sunset cover alone being enough to convince me to pick up a copy without knowing a single thing about the story. The entire comic has this wonderful warm glow giving it a comforting feel. This comic makes me think of people and places from my childhood that are all tinted with the glimmer of nostalgia. The characters are drawn with a wonderful illustrated feel that reminds me of classic Disney such as The Aristocats and 101 Dalmatians.

I think the character of Huck is surprisingly developed for an issue #1 as we already know he is quiet and what some people may consider "slow" but that he has an overwhelming desire to do good ranging from leaving a nice note for a neighbour to rescuing missing fishermen. We haven't learnt much about any other characters except Mrs. Taylor who seems like a sweet old grandmother but I'm sure the young and skeptical Diane will have a part to play in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed issue #1 of Huck and I'm not sure if I was won over by the concept of a comic about a person doing good deeds everyday or the beautiful art but its sometime nice to read something that does highlight the good in the world and appreciates the little things in life rather than constant struggles. I would recommend Huck to anyone who was interested in beginning comics and long term readers alike.
I give Huck issue #1 4 out of 5 good deeds.

Find out more about Huck here.