Review by Frank Plowright
Credit to Ben Humeniuk for a pleasing opening to Bro-D Can’t Be Broken. Almost every graphic novel exploring the future presents something bleak, threatening and unpleasant, but Humeniuk starts at the end of the 21st century with a harmonious planet. The threat of climate change has receded and people now tend to get along instead of building barriers. It’s refreshingly different. That doesn’t last.
Humanity’s peace is shattered by the gods of old re-emerging, considering Earth to be their domain, while Bro-D is the best that can be thrown against them. However, he may be more or less invulnerable, but that still leaves a big gap between the power sets of a courageous, well trained human and a giant being with a fearsome bludgeon. Bregghammer is the specimen on the loose, intent on destroying a nuclear reactor complete with the consequent loss of life.
While the background is different, it only occupies the first couple of pages, and the remainder is a fifty page battle with an epilogue. While there are a couple of creative twists, little else stands out, and Bro-D would have benefited greatly from an exploration of the ideas beneath what amounts to a superhero slugfest.
Humeniuk’s basic storytelling is solid enough, and the enthusiasm can’t be faulted, but there’s no wow factor to the artistic style, and that’s essential when it comes to what’s in effect superhero material. Given the choice of spending their money on Bro-D or Superman, almost every potential reader is likely to go for the known quantity.
If you are tempted, this isn’t listed on book sites, but can be picked up direct from publisher Band of Bards.
