Hero Tomorrow

2007, USA

Director: Ted Sikora

Writers: Milo Miller, Ted Sikora

Producers: Milo Miller, Ted Sikora

Starring: Perren Hedderson, Jocelyn Wrzosek, Bryan Jalovec, Shelley Delaney

Genre: Comedy

Rating: This film is not yet rated

Length: 93 minutes

Website: http://www.herotomorrow.com/

The life of a comic book fan can be a lonely one. It’s not the most social of hobbies as a child, and once you get to high school, you have to actually choose between going out and having fun and paying for whatever worthless crossover Marvel jammed the X­-books into.  Once out of high school, explaining why you spent most of the money earmarked for a new fridge on back issues of Eerie becomes all too common. However, the life of an aspiring comic artist is even lonelier. Not only do you have to spend long hours devoted to your craft, you have to justify dedicating your life to telling grand stories of heroism and sacrifice through a medium in which everyone dresses like professional wrestlers. And it’s this loneliness that, mixed with comedy, makes Hero Tomorrow a film that will resonate with comic book fans.

The film follows David, played by talented theatrical actor Perren Hedderson. David is an aspiring comic book artist, loosely based on director/co-writer Ted Sikora. He’s created the superhero character Apama, and eventually is driven fairly bonkers by rejection, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. The story is funny, the script occasionally quite sharp, and the basic premise is one familiar to anyone who has almost drowned while searching for Captain Barracuda’s Gamma Beam after reading Namor The Sub-Mariner comics for 14 straight hours. Strengthened by strong performances by Jocelyn Wrzosek, as David’s girlfriend, Shelley Delaney as her mother, and Bryan Jalovec as David’s friend and boss, Hero Tomorrow is an earnest film, and it’s hard to fault it for that. For the low budget, sure. For the occasionally clumsy special effect, perhaps. For the strange and lengthy squid-based dream sequence, maybe, depending on how much LSD is in your spinal fluid. But the genuine love of comic books found in this movie will this an enjoyable film for comic book fans, even those who don’t like Namor.

Rating: 7 on 10

alkratina@comicbookbin.com

Check out the Bin’s interview with the Hero Tomorrow filmmakers here.