There's something about alternate-universe comic books.
Whether it's simply a sense of "through the looking glass" or some deep desire to savor the twisted perversions of what classic comic book characters can become, i will always read through, and have now often found myself dropping money on, the intricate and unique beauty of a Parallel Reality.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. whether we're talking more classic examples of "Star Trek" or simply a bold, brave new step in storytelling, the writers who dare to dream differently have always gotten a little more respect from me for trying something new.
quick reference points would be Neil Gaiman's brilliant "1602" setting marvel heroes in the age of Exploration, or the gorgeous artwork by Mike Mignola of the victorian-era "Gotham By Gaslight", but today i want to focus on the ongoing series that Marvel writer Mike Carey has brought us over the beginning of 2011 thus far.
In summation, "what if the X-Men never came to be? what if mutants were so persecuted that they are on the verge of extinction, living in a warzone and constantly under assault from the frightened, murderous acts of the American people and the might of the US Army?"
the series has done a wonderful job of skewing familiar elements and giving us new perspective on familiar faces. Cyclops in particular has been re-imagined with zest, and there is not a moment where you don't wonder who will even survive the rest of this issue, the way death seems to be a common factor.
To see Magneto take a form of leadership that no longer comes across as outdated or over-the-top villainous is quite sensible and therefore not too surprising to a regular leader; He's always worried that mutantkind would come to the same sort of persecution as his own childhood days during WWII. And so his fatherly, protective firmness in establishing the might that mutants can put up to defend their species fits perfectly into this niche and gets our story established.
The series takes no hesitation in throwing the reader into the deep end from the first pages---every catalyst is in the past. live now, or die tomorrow. The fact that so many characters seem to have been killed off without hesitation is morbidly delightful to me. I see no Deadpool, there is only a brief taste of Wolverine (whoever thought a Marvel comic would have the cojones to keep him out of an x-men comic deserves a medal. there comes a threshold where even the cash cows can bore us, you guys.) and so we focus mainly on a new approach to Rogue, as the series progresses onwards into April and then wraps just before May.
But the real impetus to toss this promo/review up has got to be the deliciously deadly approach that Mike Carey and crew have taken to "The Avengers" in the wake of this anti-Homo-Superior culture. I have never been more horrified at the protrayals of the most recognized faces in Marvel Comics----and. I. love. it.
SPOILERS FOR THIS WEEK'S COMIC AHEAD.
The thought that Steve Rogers is a purist, who hates what Mutants and diversity have come to stand for. the idea that mutants infected Tony Stark and the armor is slowly absorbing him Borg-Style. the thought that Bruce Banner, in an attempt to "cure" mutants, comes to be covered in scars version of the Hulk due to a horrific accident from the atoms of his victimised test subjects infusing into him while he loathes himself for being "impure", a man whose OCD is inescapable and actually transforms him through that hatred alone... creepy.
or perhaps Sue Storm, the only free member of the Fan Four, as she turned in her three comrades for harboring fugitive mutants.
Wow. holy shit guys, why can't we get more like this? I have profound respect for seeing this come to pass. it's risky. I don't think many fans will like it. but it's good writing.
My only gripes with the run so far is that it IS a limited series, and this will be self contained. we have gotten just enough of a hint that this holds some parallels to 1602 in the "something is not right and must be corrected to save reality" department, but the approach can get muddled in their desire to assure us this --- this is not your daddy's comic book. That being said, the approach is creative, the visuals are gorgeous, and i look forward to the final three installments.
Four out of Five Evil Twin Goatees.
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