Broken Frontier

Hiro Takahiho, Honey Lemon, Baymax, Go-Go Tomago, Fred and Wasabi-No Ginger. Rather than a menu, these are the names of the members of Marvel’s latest super team, Big Hero 6, from Chris Claremont and David Nakayama.

From the first page it’s obvious that this is a new reader friendly step into unusual territory for the House of Ideas, namely a book that’s unashamedly fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Big Hero 6 premiered in 1998 in a series written by Scott Lobdell. The same characters remain in this new take, with the exception of Silver Samurai and ex X-Man Sunfire, replaced by Wasabi and Fred, who debuts in issue #2.

The story centres on Hiro, a boy genius, who built his own robot, just like Anakin Skywalker, but who also has a sense of humour, unlike Anakin Skywalker. A student at the Tesuka Advanced Science Institute in Japan, Hiro becomes increasingly concerned with the effects of a recent meteor impact in New York. There is a brief mention of the Avengers, and Reed Richards, though it’s obvious that this series is firmly setting up its own shop in the Marvel U, and is not concerned with Secret Invasions and New Ways To Die. However, with the team heading to America next issue, cameos from more familiar heroes seem likely.

Hiro and his classmates are then attacked by a mysterious trio of evildoers, while Hiro escapes and his robot bodyguard Baymax transforms from chauffeur look-alike into a hulking robotic warrior. Hiro watches the battle in order to protect his classmates, Baymax is soon aided by the armoured Go-Go, and Honey—who has the ability to pull anything she wants from her bottomless purse—is just like girls in real life.

After the defeat of the evil trio, the heroes learn that they were mere puppets in a larger scheme. As Hiro and Baymax investigate, they meet a woman calling herself Furi, the head of the Exotic Assets Division, which created the BH6 team.

With a pace that makes no apologies for prioritising action and minimising subtlety, the story is certainly a quick read and easy to follow. Chris Claremont appears to have altered his usual writing style somewhat in order to make this title more accessible to first time readers. Every character’s powers are explained succinctly, and the remaining pages showcase Nakayama’s redesigns, a cover gallery and profiles of the original team.

With their high-rise HQ, their own chef (Wasabi), nifty costumes and the obligatory secret identities, Big Hero 6 has all the attributes of a super-team, but with none of the angst so prevalent today. More suited to younger readers eager for a light, bright adventure, so far, this five issue mini-series looks like a perfect choice.