Happy Hour #1 

Published by Ahoy Comics

Written by Peter Milligan

Art by Michael Montenat

Colors by Felipe Sobreiro

Jerry is traveling in his car on his way to see a dying loved one, but everyone in the car seems so happy?! Jerry hits another car, and we flash to Jerry waking up in the hospital. The Doctor gleefully tells him of his sister’s death. Jerry does not take the news well. For this, he is sent to a readjustment center where people are taught to be happy again. The government no longer allows unhappiness, and you can get arrested and sent to a readjustment center for not complying. Jerry and other that he has met at the center, will fight this creed and fight for the right to be unhappy.

The story is very cerebral. Imagine a world where you are expected to be happy all the time. Regardless of your circumstances, you are expected to take it all in stride and have a smile on that face. The government that forces this ideology is the villain in this story and we learn a lot about this villain. Presumably, Jerry is our hero. Right now, Jerry is in a compromising position, but we can see that he and others are trying to rally in the readjustment center to the cause of freedom of feelings. The Story is interesting and makes you want to understand more about the world it takes place in. You also cannot help to see some parallels between this world and our current situation in our society. This all makes for an interesting read. You may not get to wait to see if the hero’s next attack will take out the villain, but you do get a lot to think about and a lot that you hope gets resolved. I found that the story is well paced, and everything is easy to understand. Where the story lacks, is in its inability to make me really care about Jerry and the rest of the characters that we meet. I am more interested in understanding how the United States Government became the happy pill pushers, but the characters just did not grip me.

The artwork is fine. A lot of the same color on each page. I am not entirely sure if this is an art direction or the fact that a lot of the story happens in medical facilities. We know how colorful hospitals and treatment centers are. The images are drawn very well and you can easily discern what you are looking at. When there is more color on the page it looks goods. The art on each panel flows well into the next. The images are not spectacular due to the type of comic, but they are still very clean and done very well. Overall, the artwork does a great job of bringing you into this bleak, but happy world.

Overall, I give Happy Hour Chapter #1 6 capes out of 10. The issue is a good introduction into the world. The story is interesting, but I just did not feel invested in the characters. I do not feel a strong pull to know what happens to them in the future and that is a crucial component to any #1