Marvel Comics 2019
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Illustrated by Carlos Magno & Butch Guice
Coloured by Alex Guimaraes
Lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham
The war was a long time ago, but the Invaders are still haunted by the ghosts of their pasts—perhaps none more than the morally ambiguous King Namor of Atlantis, who seems to be igniting a new global war between the surface world and the seas his people call home. The question everyone wants to know is….why?
Well Chip did tell me that if I wanted to see Namor’s story that I’d have to read this and he was right of course. I do have one request though I don’t want to see this done and over so quickly. I love that we are seeing a true depth to the layers of Namor’s mind and this is something that cannot be dealt with quickly or easily. Also don’t even let them make you turn this into another crossover or sucked into the mishegas that “company events” turn into these days (also too many damn events a year so I'd love this to just run, tell it’s story without drifting off into arcs that don’t fit!). That Chip is starting off this way excites me beyond belief!
So I really am impressed with the way this book is structured. The way the past and present are woven through is exceptionally well done and to start off in the past and see Namor wake up from that nightmare well immediately as a reader we see things that makes the eyes squint and you get that quizzical look on your face. This is a great thing too because already we are drawn into the story and there’s no question about reading this till the end. I do like that Jim is talking to Cap in here so that there’s a connection to how the two are able to be a main part/focus of the story as well.
The overall ebb & flow is utterly fantastic as the story here is setup so we know what direction things will going in. This doesn’t mean there won’t be an extreme amount of twists and turns that will surprise, thrill and keep us guessing what could possibly be next. Chip has always been an amazing storyteller but it feels like there’s something extra about this project from what I am seeing in this issue. There is that unknown, unquantifiable thing that is happening here that envelops the reader and makes them feel the awe and wonder and the sheer power behind these characters.
The interiors here are a dream come true. This is the kind of interior artwork that sells books. Whether it’s the past or present the way that these characters are brought to life is amazing, the linework is gorgeous and how it’s used to create the attention to detail blows my mind. The creativity and imagination here is off the charts and I can see Carlos’ had in seeing Atlantis coming to life with all the lights underwater and that two-page spread, yeah you know the one, all of it just mesmerises the reader, and I mean that each and every damn page. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show off some truly masterful eyes for storytelling. The utilisation of backgrounds and how the colour work is seen here as they expand the moments and the size and scope of the story, the characters and their powers.
I am in love with this book. The characterisation is beyond what I could have hoped for and the quality of storytelling all around is the kind that we want to have. This is definitely not mainstream per se but it’s also not fringe considering who the stars are. Every time I feel this strongly about a title at Marvel it ends up cancelled so I pray that doesn’t happen here. This could be one of THE best series debuting this year.