‘Kang The Conqueror #1’ (review)

Written by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
Art by Carlos Magno
Published by Marvel Comics

Kang the Conqueror, that name has popped up quite a bit as of late. He will be a featured villain in the upcoming film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. And many are predicting that he will appear in many more films as the big bad behind everything, similar to what was done with Thanos, the Mad Titan.

But, who is Kang? What does he want? Why is he such a threat?

You might find some of those answers in Kang the Conqueror, a new limited series written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly.

As a stand alone, this story seems promising, especially if you are trying to understand the pathos of Kang. What motivates a person to not just change history, but to dominate?

Imagine if you had the chance to advise your former self. How many times have you asked if I only knew then what I know now?

Kang, as a concept, takes that idea and runs it to the extreme. Through the miracle of technology Kang travels the expanse of time to be his own mentor. Will he find the results that he seeks?

Time will indeed tell.

While I am not a fan of comic books that are heavy on exposition (this issue has a lot of it) it wasn’t boring. Lanzing and Kelly bring you up to speed on Kang’s previous conquests quickly.

And, while I expect that in this series there will be plenty to opine on the multiverse, variant timelines and why Kang’s exploits matter, this book has all the trappings of an interesting story.

If we come out enlightened as to why Kang wants and needs to conqueror, I will be willing to give my time to this book.