Henchmen
Written by Jamison Raymond
Art by Ryan Howe
Cover by Dave Dorman
Robot Paper
Release Date: July 10, 2013 (Digital), August 7, 2013 (Print)
Cover Price: $3.99 (Digital), $4.99 (Print)

There was no way I was going to pass up the chance to review a book called Henchmen. I mean, come on, this is a book that was tailor made for me to enjoy. And enjoy it I did. Henchmen was a pleasant surprise to me. I assumed that this would be a series with a fair bit of humor and that’s exactly what I got.

Henchman follows the adventures of Gary, a down on his luck middle-aged man going through a divorce and just trying to get by. When he loses his job, he does what so many of us dream we could, turn to organized villainy. He hooks up with a bowling-themed villain and eventually becomes not only a henchman, but an innovator to the profession of henching.

The story in the issue is fairly simple, but that just gives us time to meet out main character and learn about his situation. Writer Jamison Raymond clearly understands the whole superhero genre and all the tropes that go along with it. He does an excellent job of working within those tropes and finding the humor in the situation. I’m not going to lie and say this doesn’t feel somewhat familiar to other takes on the whole “henchman as comedy” sub-genre, but there’s enough unique stuff here to make me want to see more.

The art on the issue is not the greatest thing I’ve ever seen, but there’s plenty to enjoy. Artist Ryan Howe does an excellent job making the main character feel like a normal guy who anyone can identify with and has a firm grasp on how to tell the story. There’s clearly some room for improvement, but that will come. There’s enough here to recommend that I want to see what this artist does in the future.

If you got in on the Kickstarter that funded this comic, I think you spent your money well, and if you’re looking for a nice humorous take on superheroes, I give this a hearty thumbs up. I hope that there is a follow up to this issue somewhere in the future, and I may just have to chip in t make sure it happens.

This issue gets a Henchman approved 3 out of 5.