You know writer Adam Beechen from his TV work and DC Comics stories, but did you know he also co-hosts the official Phoenix Suns' NBA podcast? And did you know artist Manny Bello teamed up with Adam again on the baseball-prison break-period piece Dugout?
Here's what folks say about Hench:
IGN review: "Together, Beechen and Bello are excellent storytellers, and Hench is one of the better works I have ever read. It is a necessity in any superhero-fan's diet and something that begs to be added to everyone's library."
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Haupt: "And seeing this book is a treat all its own thanks to Manny Bello. Never have characters that normally hover in the background looked so good."
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Variety: "Beneath its clever premise, though, Beechen finds moments of black and comic strangeness and even kindness of the sort that you expect to find in an HBO series. Manny Bello's art varies from excellent to crude, but always carries an appropriate tone for a story whose more ludicrous moments work better with an 'amateur' look."
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Wizard #154: "If you like flicks like Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas that provide an inside look at society's criminal underbelly and the miscreants who make their fortune in sin, then get ready for the supervillain version in Hench."
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Ken Lowery: "Take a closer look: what may at first glance appear to be workmanlike art is in fact technically perfect, unusually expressive, and consistent throughout. Bello's no master artist, not yet, but his storytelling skill is impeccable."
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Kevin Smith's Movie Poop Shoot "Should it Be a Movie?" column: "Yet, some way, somehow, AiT/Planet Lar head honcho Larry Young has turned up a couple of new guys with a fresh take on the genre in Adam Beechen and Manny Bello. What an unexpected, and terrific surprise! ... I could go on and on about the story and the contents, but I'd be doing you all a disservice by spoiling the plot for you. The dialogue is crisp and realistic, the art is sharp and tells the story very effectively. Another fine jewel for Larry Young's little empire. Grade: A"
