But that's what comics should be! Why spend $3.99 for a single issue you'll read once then look at for the art? It seems absurd and Miville is making an excellent case for a step up in the level of narrative quality among mainstream comic books. Read Full Review

Perhaps the most interesting thing about a book like "Dial H" is that this book could turn out to be the best advertisement for Indie books put out by the big two. There's no book quite like this under the DC Umbrella, with perhaps a few exceptions over in their Vertigo Imprint. If someone who is growing increasingly tired of superhero books and their constant status quo changes and For-Event storytelling, they might start to look for something from Top Cow or Dark Horse or IDW for something that doesn't feel like everything else on the market with "Marvel" or "DC" across the cover. Read Full Review

Yeah. This book is going to be fun. Wild, crazy fun. Miéville's ideas are golden from the get-go, and we can only imagine how much zanier they're going to be as the series wears on. The art from Mateus Santolouco has a great dark and freaky vibe to it, with some imaginative layout work and an energetic madness to its style. Dial H #1 is definitely weird fiction of the most palatable kind. Strap in, and let's see where this head trip takes us. Read Full Review

Dial H #1 is the first part of DC's "Second Wave" for the New 52, and if this is a sign of what's to come, colour me impressed. The story that China Mieville is telling is unlike most anything else on stands and, as an added bonus, also happens to be both really well told and interesting. Combined with Mateus Santolouco's art, it looks like we have a real winning combination on our hands. Read Full Review

If you like to read stuff in the vein of Vertigo Comics, then this is the book for you, it has a great team behind it, plus a cover by Brian Bolland. I can't wait until the next issue. Read Full Review

Dial H is a solid new entry in the New 52 canon. The Horror/Superhero segment of the DCU has been on a roll, and this is no exception. Read Full Review

Once again, DC proves its devotion to oddball concepts in this surprisingly enjoyable debut. Miville clearly has a long-term vision for this series; let's hope it garners enough attention so we can actually see that vision come to fruition. Read Full Review

I'm looking forward to seeing what issue 2 gives us and what Jent will turn into next! Read Full Review

If youve never read a Dial H story before, fear not. Theres nothing in here that beholds you to the history of the series. It can very easily be looked at as a self-contained comic, full of bizarre ideas and weird magic, the sort of thing thats a lot of fun to read about. The comparison to early Vertigo is deliberate. This book reminds me of Grant Morrison Animal Man and Doom Patrol more than anything else, and I mean that in a complimentary way. If you enjoyed those comics back in the day, give this one a try now. Read Full Review

This is definitely the start of a really fun series that has interesting characters and a greatly imaginative creative team. It's not grounded at all in DC lore so really anyone can jump in on this series without feeling like they needed to read anything prior. Read Full Review

Dial H #1 is off to a good start, and fans looking for something different in their super hero books should give it a shot. Read Full Review

The sole complaint I have of the book is that there's just so much going on, and so much of it is bizarre that there are places where it's a little hard to follow. But it's honestly so good and interesting, that I found myself not caring much that I had to do a little extra work to make sure I was getting everything. Certainly the layers, the creativity, and the sheer quality make this book worth the extra effort. Read Full Review

I don't know what's going to happen next and I don't want any clues. I can't wait for the next issue to find out first hand. This wasn't one of the "Second Wave" books I thought would be at the top of my list but its made a great debut as a new series. Find some spare change and dial up a taxi to take you to the comic shop so you can pick up this issue. Read Full Review

If you're looking for something new to read that isn't your typical superhero book, this is it. "Dial H" is among the first of DC's Second Wave (along with Earth 2 and GI Combat) and it has set the bar very high. Read Full Review

Dial H is really a different animal than much of the rest of DC's current portfolio. Rather than emulating the current trend of occasionally connected superhero movies, this book has the distinct feel of the weekly supernaturally-flavored criminal dramas that you might find on TV. As such, it offers a welcome alternative for readers who may not be drawn as strongly to capes-and-tights comics. More importantly, though, it's well-written and absorbing, drawing even casual readers deep into the story before long. Dial H definitely sticks out from the pack in terms of storytelling mechanics, but, for many readers, that's something worth checking out. Read Full Review

That said, Dial H won't be for everyone. Right now, yeah, we've seen this story of "schlub stumbles onto great power" a thousand times in comics, and Mieville isn't reinventing the wheel in that regard. Indeed, there are some moments that are a little too convenient, particularly how Nelson could dial a four-digit number on a rotary phone in the middle of a mugging... and still manage to come up with the same four-digit number the next day. This is not a book you buy for the message, or even for the characters involved, but to see what kind of weird, effed-up stuff is going to pop up on the page. The result is that Dial H might not linger in your mind, but the bizarro experience you get while reading it may develop a cult following in the months ahead. Read Full Review

I'm unfamiliar with China Mieville's past projects, but I love the twisted, oddball ideas and the black humor he brings to this inaugural effort in the medium of comics. Despite the ghoulish tone and developments in the story, there's always a playful underpinning running throughout the issue. He balances the ugliness of Nelson's wallowing and Darren's underworld existence with a sense of fun, albeit a morbid one. Mieville's work definitely has a Vertigo sensibility to it, but this story is also clearly entrenched in DC's super-hero continuity. It lurks within the dark periphery of the brighter colors and energetic displays of conventional genre storytelling. Read Full Review

I'm afraid I can't recommend this one at all. Read Full Review

Dial H has serious potential - however, that potential hasn't been realized yet. With any luck, I'll be singing an entirely different tune in six months time, but until then, this is one that disappointed my (admittedly high) expectations. Read Full Review

Based on all this I'm pretty sure that this comic will end up rating more than three stars; take a look at the Wikipedia page for writer China Miville and tell me if this man has it in his bones to write a dull work. But I have to judge what is in front of me rather than what I hope it will be, and on that criteria this book just doesn't have quite enough on display to merit a higher rating. Read Full Review

Cover-****
Writing-***
Art-**
Story-*