Paybacks - Heroes in debt: the price of heroism

Paybacks - Heroes in debt

I'm rich. Thus Affleck's Batman explained his power to an astonished Flash in Zack Snyder's Justice League, giving voice to one of the most widespread thoughts among comic book fans. Net of irony, the wealth factor is not a trivial matter, if we think about how expensive being a superhero can be. For every Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark, who is always able to create new hi-tech gadgets, there is at least one Peter Parker who struggles to pay the bills. A little considered aspect that becomes the spark from which Paybacks springs - Heroes in debt, the new comic by Donny Cates that does the math in the pocket (literally) of the superoic world.

Cates, on the other hand, already has shown to be able to grasp particular nuances of superheroes. With Buzzkill - The power of intoxication showed us the less heroic side of being a superman, a poignant and human story where, with irreverent irony, he highlighted the most oppressive aspects of being a superhero. Remaining within this narrative universe, Cates enjoys re-reading the dogmas of superheroic comics, highlighting the small inconsistencies in the world of superhumans. And to do that, he doesn't mind getting the bills in their pockets.

Paybacks - Heroes in debt, superheroes on a bill

On the other hand, being a superhero, having gadgets at your disposal hyper-technological and keeping up with one's opponents is certainly not cheap. Reason why, some heroes turn to Severin Pierce, an eccentric billionaire who has no problem giving generous loans, with a single clause: in the event of non-payment, you become a member of the Paybacks. Pierce's personal super-team, the Paybacks are not a superhero lineup dedicated to protecting the world, but they have a meaner job, which is to collect payments owed to Pierce. A task that, most of the time, results in a fist fight with the debtor hero.

From the first pages of Paybacks - Heroes in debt we are witnessing one of these credit recoveries, carried out with the usual delicacy by the light-hearted team of heroes. Cates from the very beginning of the story wants to clarify how the dogmas of the heroic nobility of mainstream comics are to be forgotten, here the protagonists are moved by more material laws, which often contrast with their nature. A decidedly compelling emotional contrast, made best by well-designed situations and enriched by direct and straightforward language, without hesitation in using strong terms, perfect for conveying the emotions of the protagonists.

The brilliant ideas of Cates allow you to have a parterre of heroes who, while paying homage to some of the most famous heroes of the world comics scene, move in a personal and credible way in this crazy world. A vision of the myth of the superhero that follows, however, some rules, especially on the narrative level, with a plot that has its roots within the great superhero literature. The Paybacks, in fact, find themselves having to face a threat that looms over their very existence, a danger that could become the very end of the formation, when during some recoveries, Pierce's henchmen collide with other mysterious surprises intent on killing their debtors. before collection.

A discovery that radically changes the role of the Paybacks, which from hunters become prey. A change that pushes these unusual individuals to finally ask themselves questions about their role, going beyond the obligation imposed on them to pay off their debt by working for Pierce. Cates is able to best interpret this narrative momentum, creating a plot made up of deceptions and subterfuges, whose rhythm is always kept alive by a series of clashes between dynamic and violent superheroes. All tempered by a simple but effective irony, a typical trait of Cates appreciated both in Redneck and in his management of the Marvelian Venom.

A new way of seeing superheroes

From the title , Cates tries to direct the reader to the essence of his story. Payback can be translated as reimbursement, referring to the casus belli of the formation of the super team, but also with revenge, an essential element within the plot of Paybacks - Heroes in debt. A dualism that is well maintained in the plot, with few but effective twists, perfectly inserted within the most explosive events of the plot. The work of saldaPress in choosing the Italian subtitle, Heroes in debt, which recalls that Hero for Hire with whom Luke Cage and Danny 'Iron Fist' Rand worked in the past, when they chose to disposition of the highest bidder his own powers.

Inevitable, given the basic theme, a vein of quotationism to the world of superheroic comics, which Cates managed with shrewd irreverence. If in the illustrations we see foreclosures against the billionaires par excellence in the world of comics, represented by two parodies of Batman and Iron Man, there is no lack of more marked references within the tables. Inside the warehouse where the finds recovered during the missions are kept, in fact, we can see the helmet of Galactus, the van of the Ninja Tartaturges, the Xavier's chair from the 90s run of X-Men and other funny tributes to the most beloved superheroes. But this vein of quotation also extends to the graphic layout of Paybacks - Heroes for sale, which surprises us in a chapter ending with a full-page cartoon that pays homage to none other than a great Marvel classic, The Black Phoenix Saga, reproducing a of the best known interpretations of Wolverine signed by Byrne.

Geoff Shaw, already alongside Cates for Buzzkill - The power of intoxication, returns to draw this eccentric heroic world. His stroke is perfect for giving vitality to the characters, using an exaggerated anatomy, almost a caricature, but excellent at emphasizing the emotional tensions of the protagonists. Shaw skilfully moves within the tables, creates a dynamism that enhances the heroism of these unusual superheroes, enriching it with a graphic irony that becomes the perfect expressive medium for Cates' plot.

saldaPress, after publishing Buzzkill - The power of intoxication, also offers Paybacks - Heroes in debt, with an edition that enriches the adventures of the ramshackle team of heroes with a flashback on one of the most iconic characters of the comic. In addition to these interesting extras, saldaPress embellishes this volume with the strips of Stepfather Spaziale, ironic strips born from an idea by Cates. Once again, saldaPress inserts an intriguing reading proposal into its catatologist, capable of offering a different perspective on the superheroic canon.