Comic Info
Comic Name: Dial H/Justice League
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: China Miéville
Artist: Albert Ponticelli/Dan Green/David Lapham/Mateus Santolouco/Carlo Berrocal/Richard Burchielli/Liam Sharp/Jock/Tula Lotay/Marley Zarcone/Brendan McCarthy/Emma Rios/Emi Lenox/Jeff Lemire/Frazer Irving/Carmen Carnego/Sloane Leong/Kelsey Wroten/Michelle Farran/Annie Wu/Zak Smith
# of Issues: 10
Release Date: 2014
Dial H #9
Reprints Dial H #7-15 and Justice League #23.3 (February 2013-November 2013). Roxie and Nelson are on the run in search of finding keys to the secrets of the dial. When a Canadian agent called the Centipede is sent after them, Roxie and Nelson find they must escape to the Exchange…the source of the dials’ power.
Written by China Miéville, Dial H Volume 2: Exchange is the follow-up to Dial H Volume 1: Into You. The series was already struggling at this point and this volume collects the final issues before cancellation in addition to the Justice League #23.3 Villains’ Month issue focusing on Dial E.
While I didn’t enjoy the first volume of Dial H, this volume possibly might be more frustrating…because it has some really nice moments where I think the series is going to work. Unfortunately, I feel that the series’ impending doom probably cut short China Miéville’s plans and forced a rather garbled second half.
The first part of the book does work for the most part. I really enjoy the relationship between the senior Roxie and the slob Nelson. They are two different characters that wouldn’t have known each other if it weren’t for this connection through the dial…but they enjoy each other’s company. It is a bit like Harold and Maude in this sense, and I also like how the different dials factor into the relationship like the Sidekick Dial.
Dial H #11
Unfortunately, I don’t like the secondary plot of the series. The whole Centipede and Canadian conspiracy feels like a half-baked Grant Morrison storyline from The Invisibles. It is confusing and distracting from a rather fun team book. This storyline overtakes the last few issues of the regular series and completely negates the good vibes that were created in the first few issues of this collection.
Though I didn’t really enjoy the “Dial E” storyline from the Justice League #23.3 (November 2013), I did like that they had a great collection of artists doing the story. Not everyone was good, but there was enough change throughout the issue that you were bound to find some art that you liked.
Dial H was a good experiment but a failed experiment. I liked that the New 52 took some chances with their series, but generally that is all they were—a chance. It was not always beneficial to the line to take these chances, and I think in general it did weaken the brand in some cases (Dial H might be one of them). Still, I commend DC for the effort…I just wish it had dialed up a winner.
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