Four issues in, AMP Comics’ The Greatest American Hero shows how well this superhero comedy handles drama and old age and still delivers the laughs I remember. There are little callbacks to the original series in the way Ralph masters the suit. After travelling the universe with the little green guys, he comes home to a lukewarm welcome. Everyone’s moved on. Some thought he’d died. Others wanted to forget him. What I particularly liked was how the comic tackles a plot hole by giving Ralph’s son the spotlight. In the pilot, the boy went off to live with his mom before Ralph started dating his lawyer, and we know how well that went.
You can watch the series on Amazon Prime if you want to revisit the pilot, but honestly, you can go straight to the comic. For three seasons, Ralph Hinkley, Bill Maxwell and Pam Davidson stuck together through thick and thin as crime-busters. Bill took on gangsters in Al Capone’s league. Ralph? He just wanted his kids, those high schoolers with troubled pasts, to find decent jobs and stay out of trouble.
That’s where the comic picks up. We find out what became of Tony Villicana (Michael Paré), but I’m still curious about his gang, especially Rhonda (Faye Grant). I thought those two made a cute couple, and I’m fairly sure nobody’s mentioned her in four issues. That tells you how invested I was in the show. It had a terrific Welcome Back, Kotter-style story running in the background. The comic leaves that out to give Ralph and his son, Kevin, room to work things out. The tension between them matters more here. It gives the story its footing.
One thing feels different. Every time Ralph pushes the suit to its limit, something seems to give. I don’t remember that happening on TV. I can buy the idea that with great age comes reduced function, but I’m still waiting for an explanation that fits with what we saw back then. Maybe the last issue will have an answer.
Bill’s got the pearly gates on his mind, even though he’s passed on already, and that got me thinking about something he asks Ralph in season two’s “Don’t Mess Around with Jim.” When their time comes, will the little green guys whisk the pair of them off into space like they did Beck? Ralph seems open to the idea. How’s that for accidental foreshadowing? I wonder if Handfield and McKiernan remembered that line when they wrote the comic.
AMP Comic’s The Greatest American Hero comic reads like an episode the show’s creator, Stephen J. Cannell, would’ve written. That alone keeps me reading. With Don Handfield (Knightfall) and Tawnia McKiernan (Warehouse 13) writing, I was never worried. McKiernan is Cannell’s daughter after all, and she’s dedicated to living up to his name. The pair give the story a modern spin while keeping what fans remember about the show.
As for the art, Alper Geçgel’s pencils pop. His linework is crisp, and the details sell it. In places, Ralph looks just like William Katt does today, though the resemblance comes and goes. A few angles and poses look awkward, but the layouts flow well enough to have our hero “walking on air.” I’ve followed Michael Paré’s career since the show, and he still has that distinctive look I remember. The comic doesn’t do him justice. Seeing how different both he and Sellecca look on the page, I wonder whether they signed off on their likenesses.
While the cover art is exact, the inside art is not. And it took me a while to get used to this much older Villicana. He’s lost a lot of that youthful personality. The teen didn’t age gracefully, and I’m amused he’s a doctor of sorts. I think the aging is a result of Faradilla Nurmaliza’s colouring job, and he’s definitely great at it. And I managed to read all four issues in under an hour and cannot wait for the final issue to come out!
I was not expecting another long run. After Arcana Comic’s attempt, it simply showed up at the wrong time. But now, I’m thankful the series is getting the closure it deserves, even if it’ll be bittersweet. I don’t expect Ralph to pass on the suit or the writers to tie up every loose end the way another show from that era might. Think of The A-Team finally getting pardoned. This comic’s worth reading for how it brings the tale full circle. Will Ralph and Kevin reconcile? To see if he’ll get a second chance will be great, Because believe it or not, that’s all we need.
3½ Stars out of 5
The Greatest American Hero at 45:
A Look Back At The Pilot
