Unusual Heroes: Bleu Horn #1 (Lewis Studios, 1993)

Here at OTBP, no comic is safe from the dusty bargain bins I find them in. Not everything I find or post is going to be worthy of recommendation. Some are just so odd you have to wonder what the creators were thinking at the time, and such is the case with Bleu Horn #1.

First of all...what in heaven's name is a Bleu Horn? Well ya got me...yielding a search in google just brings up this comic, which was created by John and Laura Lewis of San Antonio, TX. It also appears that this is the only comic the couple ever produced out of their own Lewis Studios.  And I hate to say it...but there appears to be some plagiarism at hand here, as many of the poses that the hero makes seem to be lifted by the one and only Dark Knight, the Batman. But I'll let you be the judge of that...

The issue kicks off with the standard fare of Batman something called Bleu Horn thinking about a dream of a great owl and a need to search for those that, "violate the order". He soon finds a group of token thugs trying to rape a token damsel in distress. Cue the cringing!

Take note of the weird green-ball thing in Bleu Horn's hand. Want to know what it is? Sorry...I have no idea. He proceeds to blast the hooligans with the green stuff and rescues the woman. The scene changes to a scientist and two individuals looking for drugs. The scientist is working on some new formula, but the whole reason behind it is never divulged to the reader, other than "evil will live" or some crazy shit.

The druggies get their drug and take it right away, and wouldn't ya know it...they turn into undead vampires from hell and kill a bunch of people. Bleu Horn arrives too late to do anything about it. Great job buddy!

Bleu Horn goes home and crashes for the night, where he dreams about that damned great owl again...as well as those evil drugs! And then suddenly he appears in the vampire lair with all-powerful knowledge!

I'm saving you from most of the cheesy battle-scenes. Trust me when I say you've seen them a thousand times before, plus they are very poorly drawn. Long story short: Bleu Horn survives enough voltage to easily kill a man and uses his weird green plasma again to kill the male vampire. The issue ends as the female summons some dark skeleton thing out of the dead vamps body. THANK GOD IT'S OVER!

Bleu Horn is a good example of what not to do when creating a first issue. There is virtually no explanation or backstory as to who this Bleu Horn guy is and what that stupid horned owl has to do with anything, as well as the weird green plasma powers the hero uses. Also, you might not want to use several well-known poses or a costume that looks almost exactly like a well-known superhero. This is amateur work at best, and while I appreciate the creative endeavors that John and Laura Lewis might have been fueled with in the making of this comic, Bleu Horn needs to take a handful of those evil drugs and ride his owl off into the dark sunset...for good.

For those wondering what's on the back cover...AHH NO NOT AGAIN THAT DAMNED OWL!