Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Yildiray Cinar
Published by Marvel Comics
Just as we got more details in the present day with the previous issue, The Marvels carries us back to 17 years before in Sin-Cong. Before our current age of heroes.
And there’s Reed Richards and Ben Grimm, before negative zones, cosmic gases, body transformations and the Fantastic Four.
Richards and Grimm are on a secret government mission to hunt monsters!
In the process, we dig up more figures who will play heavy roles in the coming time of marvels.
Tough guys and adventurers, soldiers of fortune and mad scientists appear in the days before we truly know Batroc, Ghost Rider or M.O.D.O.K. Before the Deviants and the Shi’Ar make themselves known.
It’s a lot.
Frankly, I needed to have fan wikis to place people. My Marvel history doesn’t run deep. But that’s also part of the fun of Kurt Busiek’s project. Here he is, seeking to unify every piece of Marvel continuity into one big story connecting everyone and everything.
But first he has to lay out all the pieces. We’re not close yet, but so far we’ve been splitting apart moments from the first issue and digging deeper.
Not to say this issue is without its joys alongside all the world building and lore. Any comic book featuring the Red Guardian is gonna have some fun bits. Especially if he’s paired with the Winter Soldier!
The action comes fast, and Yildray Cinar captures it all with energy and panels that move. My only complaint with his layouts – and this is a complaint of many modern comic artists – is that he makes these panels that break into a large panel, but it unnecessarily leaves open blank space on the page where no panels are. Just lay out the page normal!
I do appreciate that Cinar’s drawing of Reed Richards looks a lot like Miles Teller from that disastrous Fantastic Four movie. And he draws good monsters.
I wonder where this series will go next, in space and time, and how it all has Sin-Cong running through it.
