Welcome once again to The Marvel Rundown. This week we’re looking at alternate futures and stories untold. Our main review catches up with Marvel Knights: The World to Come #3 by Christopher Priest, Joe Quesada, and Richard Isanove. Then our Rapid Rundowns look at Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1, the start of the Age of Revelation, and a war report from Imperial War: Imperial Guardians.
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Marvel Knights The World to Come #3
Writer: Christopher Priest
Artist: Joe Quesada
Colorist: Richard Isanove
Letterers: Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith
Man, Marvel sure went hard on alternate future epilogue prestige mini series over the last few years? Avengers Twilight, a Spider-Man: Reign sequel, Avengers vs. Aliens, and this year’s Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell have all graced the shelves of comics store in that time frame. Now, Marvel Knights: The World to Come joins this group with a story telling about the final years of the Black Panther.
Or, it provides the final days for the Black Panther from the five year run by Christopher Priest. Priest writing this character again feels like a gift. His run defined the modern take on the character to the point the culture shifting 2018 film Black Panther heavily borrowed from it. So if anyone deserves a long deserved victory lap on their influential run it’s certainly Priest.
Art by Joe Quesada and Richard Isanove
Thankfully, Priest hasn’t rested on his laurels in writing this final story of Wakanda and its king. In the three issues published to date, the writer has examined the weight of legacy, the mistakes of fathers, and reaping what one has sown. His end story for the character has felt more akin to Citizen Kane or The Godfather than The Dark Knight Returns or its endless copycats. A story that looks at this character with the benefit of hindsight. If this year’s Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell was about absolution, then the issues of The World to Come tell us how even the ultimate planner can’t account for everything.
Issue #3 follows a key moment in the respective childhoods of both T’Challa and his adopted heir Ketema. The moment is the same; the future ruler of Wakanda is left in a temple. They are left in the care of a high priest, given a test, and the outcome reveals the character of the individual.
Priest has been using The World to Come to slowly peel back the layers of how rulership has weighed down who T’Challa really is. In his early years, we see him as an individual with compassion and empathy. Someone who connected with the X-Men’s Storm early in life and how possibly the great regret of his life is that he left her. That test might have forced him onto a path that maybe did not suit his actual character. The final pages, set in both the past and present, revealing Ketema’s own mettle only cement how mad this ruler is.
Art by Joe Quesada and Richard Isanove
The art by Priest’s collaborator on the series, Joe Quesada, feels less ambitious than the script. It’s pleasant to look at even if Richard Isanove’s painterly coloring style seems muddy for Quesada’s shadow heavy pages. Outside of his representation of kids (the young T’Challa and an almost unnecessary guest appearance look weird), Quesada’s work here never seems to get deeper into what Priest’s script calls for. It’s not bad art by any stretch but even Frank Miller in The Dark Knight Returns pushed himself into new storytelling methods. Seeing Quesada, who hasn’t drawn a book in over a decade, not come out and do the same is a little disappointing.
Regardless, the three issues of the Marvel Knights: The World to Come so far are some of the best books Marvel has put out this year. This is an ambitious take in the “final adventure” sub-genre of superhero stories. Priest clearly wasn’t done with Black Panther, Wakanda, and the characters he created in his run on that character. Who knows where this story is going, probably not a great place, but it’s certainly one worth following.
Verdict: BUY
Rapid Rundown
Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1
Where one Spider-Man book takes Peter to the stars, which I wasn’t a fan of, but am quickly discovering that many others are, another Spider-Man book takes Peter back to his University days. Amazing Spider-Man Torn #1, written by J. Michael Straczynski and with art by Pere Perez, focuses on Peter’s university life alongside Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane, and Harry Osborn, all while balancing the tight rope that is being Spider-Man. It’s always tricky to tell what a Spider-Man fan wants, me included, and while there is something a bit annoying about another younger Peter tale, ASM Torn #1 feels just the right amount of nostalgic. From the way that Pere Perez draws Peter, Spidey, and his castmates, to the way Stracynski illustrates the dichotomy of Peter and Spider-Man. The highlight of the issue is when Peter and his friends have an emotional conversation around the fire about their futures, which feels like foreshadowing for the dark paths their lives take when viewed out of context. Peter reveals something to the audience that is extremely interesting about his character’s stance.
Great action, great quips, and great moments make for a great Spidey book and one that feels fitting to stand alongside the main timeline Spider-Man. Spidey is fighting villains who are on his pay grade and help keep him grounded. It’ll be interesting to see how the newest villain, whose design is relatively tame, plays into Peter’s life and if they’ll have any really great character moments in the future. For now, as a starter, Amazing Spider-Man Torn #1 feels like coming home to a Spider-Man story one would expect to find rather than one that is jumping the shark in any way. Let’s hope it can stick the landing. -LM
Imperial War: Imperial Guard
If ever a comic was made specifically for me, it is one where top five Fantastic Four villain Super-Skrull goes toe to toe with Darkhawk, the greatest character Marvel unleashed in the 1990s. Well at least 10 year old me thinks that much of both of these characters. But that’s been the fun of Imperial and these Imperial War one shots. Getting to see the deep bench of cosmic characters that Marvel has in new and intriguing settings. This Imperial Guard one-shot gets into why the Skrulls turned on everyone at the end of Imperial #2 and answers if Veranke actually survived Secret Invasion all those years ago. The answer provided by co-writers Dan Abnett (no stranger to cosmic Marvel shenanigans) and Jonathan Hickman is fascinatingly complex, especially what lead to Super-Skrull’s heel turn. It’s a slow investigation to see what’s happening with the Skrulls that slowly unfurls how the lead up to Imperial was almost unseen. The uneasy interactions between Darkhawk and his compatriot Gamora offer a counterpoint to some of the chumminess between characters seen elsewhere. Sometimes the path to peace leads to uneasy bedfellows. The fight between Gamora, Darkhawk and Super-Skrull is pretty brutal thanks to the art by Cory Smith, Wayne Faucher, and Luca Maresca. And the conclusion is a bit of a shocker. Hopefully, when Imperial #4 drops we’ll see how this hopefully plays out. Until then I’m just gonna celebrate that I got to see two characters I love get to duke it out. – DM
DISPATCHES FROM THE AGE OF REVELATION!!!
X years after the Gene Bomb has devastated the world. Many mutants have aligned themselves with Revelation, the corrupted heir of apocalypse formerly known as Doug Ramsey. Others are resisting. These are their stories… (all reviews by Jordan Jennings)
Amazing X-Men #1 follows the events of Age of Revelation: Overture. A time displaced Beast and Cyclops, alongside the resistance cell, are on the run from Wolverine, Revelation’s horseman of death. Writer Jed MacKay continues to present his dark and gristly version of this hellscape that is less “Days of Future Past” and more “Earth X” (no not the DC kind). Its becoming increasingly clear the in-universe reason behind Beast and Cyclops’ temporal kidnapping is not completely true. Artist Mahmud Asar delivers this issue with amazing line work and character composition. Asar takes the Ryan Stegman designs and makes them work for his style. Easily the best Beast has looked in the “From The Ashes” era. Amazing is shaping up to be a road trip style book as we see pockets of this fallen world and I like it. Check this one out
Binary #1For those wondering where Phoenix is at during the whole Age of Revelation takeover, well not with Jean. Instead the Phoenix force has been given to Carol Danvers who has once again taken up the Binary name. Binary #1 follows Carol’s attempt to keep her hometown safe following the Gene Bomb by sealing the town from the world. Writer Stephanie Phillips channels the anxiety from the Covid Lockdowns into this story. The conflict between Carol and the townspeople is all too familiar in this lens. The fact that the towns people are being manipulated by an obvious swerve, but I will leave that spoiler secret. Artist Giada Beluiso does a spectacular job with page and panel composition. The comic is definitely in the Marvel house style but well executed. I love the design of the Phoenix Force powered Binary. It looks stunning on the page and positively cosmic. Binary looks to be tertiary to the event itself but if you like Carol Danvers and (Redacted) you will enjoy this one.
Laura Kinney: Sabertooth #1This was one of the more head scratching titles when announced. I was confused by the notion of Laura Kinney becoming Sabertooth, but now with the release of Laura Kinney: Sabertooth #1 some of my questions have been addressed. Writer Erica Schultz continues her Laura Kinney Wolverine run here and we see some of the plot points carry over between Laura and Hellion. The real star of the comic are Gabby and Aki as this book is really a stealth Wolverine Family comic, and it helps provide insight into the world of Revelation. Artist Valentina Pinti illustrates the book well in the Marvel House Style. Pinti really captures Hellion’s slimey behavior. The fight between Laura and Gabby is also well done as we get to see how far apart these close sisters have become. I do wish I have caught up with Schultz’s Wolverine book before this point, but this was a good jumping on point. As for the event, the book seems to be more involved than Binary, as we get more insight into Logan and see Revelation’s inner circle. I enjoyed this one.
Longshots #1If Sabertooth confused me, Longshots was the book that enticed me more. The last two stewards of X-men, Jonathan Hickman and Gerry Duggan, are co-writing this Mojoverse book. Hickman and Duggan deliver a weird book that is largely meta commentary about comic events, TV streaming, the current media atmosphere, and probably something else I just missed. So yeah, it’s just like most Mojo books. The humor is a mixed bag. Duggan is obviously more known for his humor given the Deadpool run, but Hickman has the jokes, folks. The problem is that most of the jokes are alright at best. That said the humor does come through from the situation—Mojo and the X-baby executives commission the bounty hunter Hellcat to assemble a team of X-men and C-tier Spider-Man villains together to take on Revelation’s Power Plant. It is absurd and over the top at times. Artist Alan Robinson style is hard to pinpoint but manages to take the more ridiculous moments of the script and elevates them. Like the part where Kraven the Hunter snorts the Rhino’s ground up horn as a narcotic. Again, this comic is the weirdest thing I’ve read from Marvel all year. When it comes to the event, it is tertiary to the main storyline but the plot with the Power Plant may be relevant in the future. We will see. It is worth checking out if you are a Mojoverse sicko.
World of Revelation #1This may be the most ambitious and strongest book of this week’s Age of Revelation tie-ins. World of Revelation #1 is the typical anthology book that Marvel likes to include with these events that may or may not feature key plot moments but often will feature small character moments that wouldn’t make for an entire book. The Message is the most relevant to the overall event as we see Mei’s message from Overture get relayed by Xavier to Apocalypse as well as we get to see more of the mutant world of Arrako from X-Men Red writer Al Ewing. The story has an almost storybook like feel with Augstin Alessio illustrating these stunning painted panels showing the landscape as Xavier wanders the broken place. It is definitely interstitial to the main event, but it is great to see this land again under Ewing’s pen. Never Let Me Go by Steve Foxe, Jesus Merino, and Wil Quintana hits home how devastating Revelation’s Babel Effect is on people as we see Billy Kaplan get hit with the Babel Effect early on in Revelation’s takeover. Teddy scours the universe for a cure to the Babel Effect but its impact, seemingly permanent, chills any outside efforts to interfere with Revelation’s plans. Foxe writes one of the most heart-breaking stories in this world and delivers a story that is metaphorical to losing a partner to a debilitating disease like ALS or Alzheimer’s. Fantastic story telling that, while not critical to the event, sets the standing up to Revelation. Lastly, we see what became of the Fantastic Four with Epoch of Revelation by Ryan North, Adam Szalowski, Cris Peter.With the Four dead from the Gene Bomb, Franklin Richards has been mutated into an amorphous blob. Unable to fight the wrongs of the world, we see Franklin try to preserve the art of the world for the future with the help of Herbie. This comic is just absolutely a gut punch of a comic and easily the most tragic thing I have read from Marvel this year but it is also one of the best. It is a simple story but North just kills it. I loved this comic dearly and I hope we see more vignettes like this from this future.
Can’t wait for next week’s books? Catch up with past iterations of the Rundown!
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