Broken Frontier

Inspired by a classic novel, Legend tells the story of the world’s first super-being and the effect he has on his environment. Can Hugo Danner find his place in society?

Obsessed with unlocking the full potential of living things through chemistry, Dr. Abednego Danner has been experimenting with tadpoles and kittens, endowing them with superhuman strength. His work is considered an abomination by his deeply religious wife but this does not dampen Danner’s resolve. When she announces she is pregnant, Danner knows he has found his next test subject. The baby, Hugo, soon develops into a veritable super-being, stronger, faster, and more durable than any other child. As he grows up, Hugo discovers that his abilities make him a target for the fear and mistrust of others and he struggles with the temptations that accompany his changing physiology.

Legend is based on Philip Wylie’s 1930 novel, Gladiator, a story credited as one of the inspirations for Superman. A major influence on the superhero genre, Hugo Danner has made the rounds in comics a few times (he appeared in DC’s Young All-Stars and Marvel did its own adaptation of the novel). Nonetheless, it seems appropriate to revisit the original superhuman of the 20th century as we continue to progress into the 21st. Chaykin does a fine job of establishing the setup for the story. We get a sense for Abednego’s unscrupulous practices and the personal failures which seem to drive his quest for perfection. In a very frank manner, we witness the hazards of bringing a superman into the world. Breast-feeding becomes a dangerous prospect, as does keeping little Hugo in his iron crib.

The real meat of the story, however, hinges on Hugo’s childhood. Although, he uses his abilities to help a man pinned under a fallen train car, this is no altruistic champion of truth and justice we’re dealing with. When tormented by classmates, he lashes out with his godlike strength. He flings rocks and tree trunks at reprimanding adults, even going so far as to threaten to snap their necks. Chaykin presents Hugo’s reactions to the world around him in a realistic fashion. The boy is a swirling brew of emotion and childish naiveté about the consequences of his actions. Readers hoping to root for the Superman archetype in this tale may find themselves uncomfortable or unnerved by Hugo, which is precisely the reaction the comic is counting on. In telling Hugo’s story, Legend sheds light on humanity’s failings and its response to anything different or exceptional in its midst.

And speaking of exceptional, Russ Heath does a lovely job of illustrating this issue. Heath has a classic, elegant style of comic art, a simple and clean form of storytelling that is often lost in many modern comics. He beautifully captures the look of small town America in the mid-20th century (Chaykin’s story seems to update the 1930 novel). Heath’s images skillfully display the cold detachment of Abednego Danner, the fear and suspicion of the townsfolk, and the anger and confusion felt by Hugo himself.

I highly recommend this comic for anyone interested in a realistic depiction of a superman among us or in a dissection of human foibles. A few of its themes may be well-tread ground for the superhero genre by now, but Legend nonetheless presents an illuminating glimpse of where it all began.

-Eric Lindberg