No Hero

How much do you want to be a superhuman?

"I'm no hero, Ben."

—Joshua

The second super hero miniseries from Warren Ellis at Avatar Press. If Black Summer is what happened when the superhumans were too human, this is what happens when they're inhuman. The series started with issue #0 and lasted for 8 issues, from June, 2008 to September, 2009.

Taking place in 2011, the super hero group Front Line has just lost several members to attacks targeted at them, and are rushing to replace them when they find Joshua Carver, a young man who wants nothing more than to be a super hero. And he'll get his wish, if he can survive the process...

Tropes used in No Hero include:

• Alternate History: It's implied the Front Line has changed history significantly, including the dissolving of South Africa and the institution of "Black States" in the USA.
• And I Must Scream: It's not clear whether Carrick can die of asphyxiation in deep space...
• Anti-Hero: Joshua
• Art Evolution: Joshua becomes a little less deformed after the fourth issue, probably since what happens next is more unsettling if Joshua is capable of showing more emotions.
  • Justified in issue 5: it's the next day, so he could still be changing. But the real change happens in issues 6 and 7 - barely some hours later.
• Asexuality: Joshua realizes this about himself after losing his penis. Check Body Horror and Personality Powers.
• Beware the Superman: What happens when you give superpowers to a Complete Monster?
• Body Horror: What FX 7 does to Joshua. It makes his skin, teeth and penis fall off. Check Personality Powers, below.
  • Take a look at this and this, if you dare.
• Code Name: Pretty funny ones used by a couple of government agents for Joshua and Carrick.

Male Agent: Pigeon One has been caught, and Dick Dastardly's on his way back to the coop, over.
Female Agent: Are we serious with those codenames?
Male Agent: Don't get me started.

• Complete Immortality: Carrick Masterson. He can't age, get killed by external means, but he does feel pain.
• Curb Stomp Battle: Joshua against the Frontline. One of the most extreme cases EVER.
• Deceptive Disciple: Joshua
• Drugs Are Bad: This definitely seems to be a message, if not the message, of the story. Boy, does it go out of its way to show why.
• Electronic Eyes: Mr. Marsh has computers in his head and it's revealed by glowing eyes.
• Engineered Heroics: In issue 6, Joshua makes a fine impression on the people of San Francisco by redirecting a disabled airliner from slamming into a building and belly-landing it in the bay. Then two other members of The Front Line show up and casually tell him they killed the pilots and threw the plane at the building for him to save.
• Evil vs. Evil: This is what the story turns into when Josh takes on The Front Line.
• Eye Beams: Redglare has heat vision.
• Fate Worse Than Death: Carrick can't die, so what does Joshua do? He flies him into space so he could drift for eternity.
• Genuine Human Hide: The cover of issue 7 shows Carrick sitting in a chair upholstered in human skin. You can tell because of the nipples and stitched-closed faces.
• Goomba Stomp: Joshua's first in-panel kill, delivered to a mugger from three stories up. The unfortunate man's ears come right off in a spurt of blood.
• Gorn: Lots of it, the most extreme being Joshua tearing out Ben's spine, and then using Ben's muscles to wrap it around his waist to imitate a penis.
  • There's a scan here. Don't say you weren't warned.
• Holding Out for a Hero: Invoked by Carrick:

"It does people good to have super-powered heroes. It makes them think they're incapable of doing anything for themselves. That forms the basis of a society that is useful to me."

• Homage: Each issue had an alternate cover based on an iconic comic cover, such as Watchmen #1, Crisis on Infinite Earths #71, and X-Men #100.
• I Am a Monster: Josh says as much, claiming to be the FBI's pet monster periodically assigned to kill other monsters like Masterson.
• I Just Want to Be Special: Joshua Carver is this at the beginning.
• Immortality Hurts: Carrick, in no uncertain language.
• Jumped At the Call: Josh really worked to get Carrick's attention.
• Kill'Em All: The ending of the story. With the exception of Carrick
• Meaningful Name: Joshua Carver. Based on his last name, he did exactly that to The Front Line - that is to say, carving it out. After all, it is what he does best.
• Necessary Evil: The Front Line, for its many wrongs, are at the same time keeping fault lines stable, are behind several aid efforts, and are also insuring economic stability in some parts of the world.
  • Yep, and their destruction leads to ruin for the world!
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Without Carrick and the Front Line, the last two pages indicate the entire world is beginning to collapse, with economic markets failing, wars starting and the White House being destroyed with a plane.
• Noodle Incident: Those Two Government Agents discussing Joshua:

Female Agent: What do you think that crazy little bastard's doing in there?
Male Agent: Remember Allentown? Probably a bit like that.
Female Agent: Christ.

• Pragmatic Villainy: Carrick explicitly states that the purpose of the Front Line is selfish as hell. "The more people alive there are, the more people there are to earn money that will eventually be given to me. Also, the more people there are to breed girls whom I will eventually fuck." They save people, shut down Nixon and Vietnam, kept the French from getting nuclear weapons, destroyed Iran's oil reserves to nip terrorism in the bud, etc... because it is good for business. They're assholes of the first degree, but they've made their world better than ours (maybe-- the line about "black states" imply that the US went through an apartheid-like stage at some point). And once Joshua shuts them down on behalf of every government on the planet, everything goes straight to hell.
• Personality Powers: Justified since FX 7 brings out what is inside as super powers. Josh's horrific transformation after taking FX 7 is the first big hint about his true nature-- a serial killer with a chameleon-like personality. No face of his own, so to speak....
• Psycho Serum: FX 7. So very much!
• Shrine to Self: Carrick has a hallway of self-portraits done by various artists-- the style of Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol are the most immediately recognizable.
• Super Serum: FX 7 is how the characters get their superpowers. Unfortunately, it is also Psycho Serum.
• The Reveal: See the quote at the top of the page.
• The Teetotaler: Josh never drinks, never smokes, and is a vegan. Until he chose to take FX 7.
• Title Drop: See the quote at the top of the page.
• Villain with Good Publicity: The Front Line. Especially Carrick.