Comic Book Reviews: ‘Hass’
“I haven’t done a study or a poll, but deep down I think this is one of the worst fears for every black person in America…Being alone and at the mercy of a huge group of racist whites.”
If you can’t already tell from the cover, Hass is an intense and visceral comic book. It opens with Josh Jones being beaten by five white guys then it transitions to what happened earlier with Josh thinking it is not his life flashing before his eyes but rather the past 24 hours. Earlier Josh arrives on a college campus in Texas and is smitten by a certain girl. He then proceeds to win her over. They have their ups and downs during the date; they open up to each other and in the end they wind up at her place. That is where everything goes wrong. Will Josh be able to survive the beating? Is living after being treated that way worth living? This comic addresses many heavy issues, primarily racism. “Yet even today with all of our advancements and our political correctness there’s still racism that festers under the surface.”
This was a heavy read. I had to take a break after I finished it. Josh is a likeable guy who just happens to fall for a white girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mixed race couples are presented as average/no big deal. Josh has a Latin roommate and thinks nothing of it. It is the racist individuals that are the problem. Also, the comic book brings up stereotypes by having Josh be a hipster into heavy metal and he is a “trust fund baby.” Not typical things associated with a black character (or at least not all at the same time). The back of the comic book and the last inside cover image show Josh with name tags all over him with labels such as: hipster, oreo, white washed, snob, Uncle Tom, etc. They are pretty powerful images. One of the racist characters tells Josh he acts like he is white. What does it mean to be white? Is Josh an oreo? Why does he have to have a label?
The overall look is also dark with deeply saturated images, thick lines, and mostly dark lighting. The style shows the main characters and even the background people with realistic expressions. This made it difficult to read through the fight scenes. They make your stomach churn and you feel bad/sad to see what to Josh goes through. The worst part is that stuff like this really does happen which makes it all the more grounded. The characters look like people you could meet anywhere; they look like animated versions of real people. There are some hidden gems in the panels, for example: Master Roshi can be spotted in the restaurant they go to for their date. Also, Josh’s hat and scarf look like he is channeling Dr. Long Scarf from Dr. Who mixed with Freddy Krueger (or maybe it’s just me).
B. Alex Thompson‘s deep story is brought to life by Federico Santagati’s impressive artwork and colors by Russell Vincent Yu. If you are looking for a comic book with depth and great style that addresses current issues you need to check out Hass. This is not a fluff comic book. It makes you think. It makes you look at real events that still go on today. I enjoyed it even though it is a bit darker than I am used to reading. I want to know what happens to Josh. What will he do next? Will he stay with the girl? Will the racist guys get punished? I will definitely keep my eye on this one to see what happens next!
