Hype
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Art by Javier Pina
Colors by Alessia Nocera
Letters by Bill Tortolini
Cover by Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts
Special cover by Dave Johnson
PaperFilms &
Adaptive Studios
Release Date: January 24th, 2017
Cover Price: $12.99

Scientist Amanda Marr is kidnapped and threatened by the military to understand and humanize their best weapon… HYPE. A superhuman who can only be conscious for 45 minutes per day, Amanda must teach HYPE aka Noah how to be still and feel and learn. His powers are amazing, overwhelming to him. He is so hyperaware, he can hear a fly buzzing in a car in a parking lot below.

Such is the story of Hype, a crowdfunded 65-page full-color graphic novel by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray that’s now been released to the public.

The story is goooood. Crowdfunded through Kickstarter last February, Hype has just the right amount of action and violence, mixed with wonder and burgeoning affection and caring. Plus, a little sexual tension is thrown in (never hurts).

It does do a couple of time jumps, which are easy to follow and flesh out the main story quite nicely.

In a very distant way, the character HYPE reminds me a bit if Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen, only if his power and his innocence inside his superior knowledge.

The novel ends quite satisfyingly (I actually did not want it to end), leaving it open for the next one of the series.

Official Synopsis:

The United States military has a secret weapon: an individual who wields the superhuman abilities of immense intellect, speed, power, and strength. The cost? This power only lasts forty-five minutes a day. Noah Haller is HYPE, a man who is forced to undergo complete cellular regeneration twenty-three hours each day to retain his capabilities.

As Noah works to solve the world’s complex problems, he struggles to achieve the emotional balance and understanding that comes naturally to most humans. Scientist Amanda Marr aids him in his journey, but loyalties are tested as a terrorist group threatens the world with a deadly pathogen.