Comics Review: "Henchmen Inc." #1

- by Señor Editor, 20 June 2014

Monkeybrain Comics’ new title sets out to shed some light on the true blue-collar workers of the world of superheroes and supervillains – the henchmen! Where would any self-respecting villain be without them? Written by Tim Simmons and with art by Jim McMunn, “Henchmen Inc.” will show you the ins and outs of being a professional goon.

Now that's a nice cover. Click to enlarge.

I’ve been praising Monkeybrain’s comics quite a few times on here already, but I think this is the first book I’ve read from them, that is set in a world of superheroes. That said, it certainly presents this world from a point of view not often seen, and so I was interested enough to pick up the first issue.

Our “hero” is Michael Finch. As a kid, Mike always wanted to be a superhero, but the background he comes from, shaped him into something else entirely. Michael became a thief, and he was caught breaking and entering by one of the many caped crusaders. We meet Mike just as he’s being released from prison, welcomed back to freedom by his friend, Dex. As the two friends catch up over drinks, Mike wants to know why his girlfriend didn’t come see him. Turns out she’s expecting a baby, Mike’s, and she doesn’t want to have the child grow up with a father who’se frequently locked-up. It’s gonna take a lot of work and going fully straight, for Mike to show her he’s a changed man.

Unfortunately, there’s not exactly a lot of honest jobs available for ex-cons, and soon enough, Finch asks Dex for help finding work.  Dex offers exactly that, and while he can’t exactly tell Mike what the job is, he assures him it’s all legitimate, pays well, and offers full medical coverage. With that info, Mike heads to a job interview, and he soon finds out he is going to become a professional henchman for hire.

Mike, getting out of prison.

You see, in a world where superheroes have been punching out henchmen for decades, Kirby (Mike’s new boss, and founder of Henchmen Inc.) took a page from the real bad guys, and went legitimate. He created a business that pays well, offers all kinds of legal and medical care, and started renting professional cannon fodder for supervillains. In the training, Mike learns the basics: whenever a superhero attacks Henchmen Inc.’s villainous clients, you got a roll with the hero’s punches, play dead until they forget all about you, and get the hell out of there. The heroes think so low of the henchmen that they don’t even consider that the goons are playing along. If the henchman can get away with some stuff the villain stole, then that’s an added bonus (the company and the villain split the cash from the loot). During his first job, Mike does really well, but at the issue’s end, we find out things might be a little harder for him in the near future.

Mike's first gig, as part of The Chain's crew.

Tim Simmons’ writing is good and appropriately funny. The concepts in this issue play nicely off of the well-known superhero tropes and clichés. Simmons does a good job of making Michael a likeable character, one that we root for, and showing the insane ego on all of the book’s superheroes. It’s an interesting premise and it’s working very well in the book’s world.

McMunn’s artwork also lends itself well to “Henchmen Inc.” It’s a little cartoony, but not overly so, and it fits the light tone of the book. The various henchmen, villain and hero outfits look good, the characters are expressive and looking good. There’s a page where the history of henchmen (the word and the profession) is shown, and it’s really helped by the colors, which make the whole page look like something from an old comic. It’s a nice touch.

Old-timey henchmen.

Like I said in the beginning, Monkeybrain books rarely disappoint, and “Henchmen Inc.” is  off to an interesting start. It’s a good first issue, that should appeal both to superhero fans looking for something interesting, as well as the people who just want to read a good comic with an original premise. Check it out, it should be a good new series!


Have you picked up "Henchmen Inc." #1 this week? How did you like it? Which supervillain has the coolest henchmen? Sound off in the comments!

Tagged: comics, Reviews.

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