9th Wonders!

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Hiro Nakamura reads the 9th Wonders! comic he picks up in the future.

9th Wonders! is a metafictional comic-book series in the NBC drama Heroes. In the show, it is written, illustrated, and (presumably) self-published by Isaac Mendez. In reality, Mendez's artwork is provided by popular veteran comic-book illustrator Tim Sale.

[edit] History

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The stories that take place in 9th Wonders! are a direct reflection of Mendez's own precognitive visions. When Hiro Nakamura arrives in New York City five weeks into the future (having teleported there from Japan by use of his space-time manipulation abilities), he is surprised to discover the book for sale on a local newsstand with his recent arrival pictured on the front cover. Upon reading through the story, Hiro discovers it depicts his daily life of the past few weeks in alarming detail. The panels of the book even include his exact dialogue, transcribed into English.

9th Wonders! is self-published, as the creator's name and home-studio address appear prominently in the back of the issue. This is unusual, as most newsstand comic books are typically produced and distributed via larger corporations and companies. The "official" company name listed on the issue's cover is the "Helix Comics Group" (note the oblique reference to DNA's double helix shape). This is likely homage to the real-world Marvel Comics, as the composition and design of the meta-cover (as well as those on the "official/unofficial site" 9thwonders.com) recalls books published by the latter company.

9th Wonders! is presented as a new series; an issue being read by Micah Sanders is visible in the debut episode "Genesis." Also in this episode, Hiro can be seen with 9th Wonders! artwork on his computer monitor. During the second episode, "Don't Look Back," another issue is visible with its cover numbering partially obscured. It is shown in the following episode to be number 14. The nature of the book appears fluid, as Nakamura references it heavily in order to receive prompting for his choices of action, leaving even the final page count (monthly books averaging 21-24 pages) in question. However, this is not fully explained.

It has yet to be revealed if the additional art produced by Mendez – visible in his studio in both episodes – relates to his series or was produced independently, although he pointedly comments that various paintings fit together like panels in a comic book page.