The result is a nicely paced, assured work of slight ambition, working in broad strokes that ultimately ends up updating even some of the jingoistic detritus carried over from the Silver Age.
In Albuquerque's angular style, Huck himself is presented more as an overgrown child than a mildly retarded young man with a heart of gold. His desire to do good forges close ties between the giant and his small and accepting community, draped in homely blues and browns. The story starts when the nostalgic town gets threatened by the outside forces and the secret of it's superhuman benefactor's existence becomes known worldwide.
The higher profile brings Huck into direct contact with the rest of the planet, as well as the people that know a lot more about his origins. The character's innate goodness and naivety are never brought into question or challenged, as the story refocuses on people trying to manipulate him for their own ends.
The drama ultimately boilds down to a pulp plot involving inhumane experiments in a secret Russian military base. As presented, the science city is an inverse of Huck's hometown, drawing directly from the Cold War paranoia, complete with the one-dimensional scientist who could not look more evil if he tried.
The creators' heavy handed approach is foreshadowed in an early sequence where Huck quickly deals away with a terrorist threat. Yet in this day and age, such portrayals can only be seen as offending.
"Forrest Gump" showed a much more nuanced and humane vision of the Vietnam conflict, and what Millar and Albuqerque present here can only be seen as reductive. Devolving serious political issues to a black and white presentation was a staple of Silver Age comicbooks, but even these were eventually called into question and largely dismissed as cheap propaganda.
Contrasting the altruistic strongman with the morally bankrupt evil genius ultimately resolves into a feel good ending that reinforces traditional American values and brings the story full circle. As told by two veteran comicmakers, the story is well told, if unmemorable. In many ways, it brings to mind "Red Son", the writer's official Superman story. The acclaimed mini-series was both more ambitious and presented a much more balanced view of the Soviet Union.
Where his early work cemented his reputation as a creator to watch, his newest effort will hardly do much to challenge his current role as the ideas man that Hollywood listens to. "Huck" succeeds in what little it tries to accomplish, but while attempting to create emotional resonance it drags the reader into a retro fantasy that can only be considered as problematic in the complex world we love in today.
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