Marvel Comics 2016
Written by Chuck Wendig
Illustrated by Ario Anindito
Coloured by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Hyperion committed to helping a young runaway named Doll to escape the clutches of Junior--a crime lord who claims to be her father. It’s over, or so Hyperion thinks. The hero from a fallen world fell prey to Junior’s Dark Carnival, but Doll saved him--and he saved her in turn. Now, he and Doll (and the dog) return to the road, hoping for a little downtime. However someone has been following him, and has a warning for Hyperion about what’s to come….
Well I was wondering what was going to happen between Marc and Doll once the first arc was over and now we have our answer. They will continue to be traveling together in the truck, finding trouble where it happens along the route. It’s almost like a modern day journey of self-discovery but with a little twist. Marc is the from another universe and his journey is one most can’t possibly fathom. Then there’s the enigmatic Doll and her story which is far from over and barely begun I’m enjoying the way they are settling into interaction with one another.
In true typical young versus well what she considers old she does what she thinks is the right thing for him at this time. Chuck’s writing of this is fantastic and I gotta say the amount of humour mixed into all this is pretty much a dream come true. Then when Thundra shows up well maybe i’m a little more than behind the times but when did she become like DC’s Maxima chasing down men to have children with? For the uneducated has she been this way for awhile now or is this a newer development?
Still this superpowered romp in the hay does have it’s uses. She’s very much a witness to what’s happened and has told him what he’s missed. What she’s seen as she followed him through the whole Carnival disaster and that Junior isn’t exactly finished. In a way it’s like Chuck’s setting up Junior as not only a constant threat to Doll but he’s creating an arch-nemesis as well. It’s a good set-up and it’s nicely done as things are coming together in ways that are smart, interesting and fun to watch.
I like Ario’s work on the interiors here. The attention to detail in the faces and the bodies are great, that Doll has more of an occasional androgynous look is another aspect that i’m enjoying. Seriously there are moments that Marc is a complete and utter stud, handsome in the face as can be and the sex scenes wow talk about something. The flow of the story is wonderful from the angles and perspective, see looking down on the Earth below, the use of backgrounds and faces/facial expressions this is the kind of work that not only sets you apart from the pack but is what makes life long fans.
This isn’t anything like Marvel is putting out right now. It’s not dark or brooding, angst ridden or youthfully exuberant it’s pretty much in a league of its own. This has the right amount of intrigue, optimism and self doubt plus the potential here is amazing. I’m a little surprised with the man who shows up on the last page I was hoping we could avoid that and what’s with that attitude he was sporting? Okay well if he’s going to be a part of this universe it has to happen best to get it over with now.
This is a heck of a lot more than I would’ve expected it to be and this is well worth reading for the long haul.