It’s another week and that means it’s time for another edition of the Marvel Rundown. However, this a Marvel Two-In-One Down as our main review covers Imperial War: Black Panther by co-writer Victor Lavelle, and Cafu and Imperial War: Planet She-Hulk by co-writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Emilio Laiso with Jonathan Hickman co-writing both. In our rapid rundown of other Marvel releases, we’re looking at The Mortal Thor #1 and X-Men #21.
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Art by Francesco Motarino on both Imperial War: Black Panther and Imperial War: Planet She-HulkImperial War: Black Panther
Writer: Victor Lavelle and Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Cafu
Colorist; David Curiel
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Imperial War: Planet She-Hulk
Writers: Stephanie Phillips and Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Emilio Laiso
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Joe Carmanga
Back at the height of his influence on comics culture, Warren Ellis coined the derogatory term “floppy” for single issues. As superhero comics moved away from single issue stories and towards graphic novel serialization, the phrase became a derogatory standard. The single issue was clearly a relic of a direct market that was sure to one day be entirely graphic novels. However, Ellis would backtrack and try to reorient thinking towards using “singles” as term for individual issues, equating a them to a single by a musician. Given people still refer to individual comics issues as “floppies”, he wasn’t that successful.
Art by Emilio LaisoBut the idea of single issues being the equivalent of a 7” or 12” record feels appropriate for comics. You can experiment in a single issue or get a simpler idea out better than a long form story. Alternative comics have long proven the single as fertile ground for one person anthologies or a show case for new talent. The same applies to superhero comics. Last week’s Marvel All in One is a great example of that with both an experiment in form and as show case for artist Ed McGuinness. A smart superhero publisher can use the single issue as a test case for a new series or try out new talent. Case in point the first two Imperial War; Black Panther and Planet She-Hulk one shots.
The two stories focus on subplots left dangling in earlier issues of Imperial; Wakanda in the aftermath of a space assault in Issue 2 and what’s been going on with She-Hulk after she got left on Sakaar en Nevo to keep the peace way back in Issue 1. If these were expanded on in the main Imperial book, they would absolutely get lost in the bigger story of the space epic. They would also drag the book out longer than it needs to be. Had Marvel treated these stories like they do every other event series tie in, these would be superfluous mini series absolutely forgotten after the event.
Art by CafuBut as singles, these two Imperial War one shots give space for these stories to be their own thing. The story of Imperial is a battle across the galaxy, something so massive in scale. These stories simply visit different theaters of war with the smaller conflicts that exist there. Black Panther, as a king and one of the smartest men in the Marvel, investigates what’s happening while trying to create some kind of galactic unity post-Imperial. Oh and he’s also trying to fight off a seriously pissed off Hulk. Meanwhile, She-Hulk, everyone’s favorite superhero lawyer, finds herself trapped in a very different legal culture. Events in one book influence the other but not in a way that feels confusing for anyone not reading the other. As singles, they’re perfect to keep readers intrigued before Imperial’s finale in October.
More importantly these work as experiments for new directions for these characters and potential launching pads for new books instead of just throwing out a new series on the hope the event generates interest in a character. The announcement of a Planet She-Hulk ongoing, written by Stephanie Phillips who co-writes this Planet She-Hulk one shot, confirms that. A single issue side story testing the idea of She-Hulk experiencing how different law and order is on Sakaar en Nero versus Earth seems like a smarter plan than thinking folks want a new series based on her few appearances in Imperial. Sadly, artist Emilio Laiso, whose art here balances, the action, weird sci-fi, and comedy of the story well, won’t get to join her there. Still the single issue showcases their versatility as an artist in a way, especially while juggling so many tonal shifts in the narrative, that say a short in an anthology might not.
Art by Emilio LaisoNo Black Panther book has been announced post Imperial, yet. Still anytime the great novelist Victor Lavelle visits a Marvel character feels like a reward. Hopefully, if he does write a Black Panther title (crossing fingers that happens), then he gets to bring along artist Cafu. There’s just an elegance to his figure drawing and page design. He’s made a name for himself as one of Marvel’s best cover artists. Yet the showcase that a single can provide shows why he’s definitely someone who should do interiors on a high profile book.
Art by CafuCredit is due to Jonathan Hickman, who let us remember began his acclaimed Fantastic Four run with a Dark Reign (anyone remember Dark Reign?) tie in, curating these one shots. As Imperial takes a break until the final issue drops in October, these one shots get to deepen and progress the story but not overwhelm readers. This approach of using the single to tell the wider story of Imperial, while allowing excellent talent to tell these stories, feels like the way forward for event fatigued Marvel. Let the main series be the event while releasing a small number of singles, a format perfect format for expanding the story without overwhelming audiences. If both Marvel and DC want to keep up their endless cycle of event books, maybe they should consider new approaches with old formats.
Verdict: BUY BOTH
Rapid Rundown
- The Mortal Thor #1
- The Mighty Thor is taking a more mortal approach to things in The Mortal Thor #1, written by Al Ewing with art by Pasqual Ferry, and an absolutely stunning cover by the legendary Alex Ross. As someone who hadn’t been keeping up with Thor, I was excited to dive into this with a fresh and open mind, and I wasn’t disappointed. I am unsure of the previous context, but thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be a requirement. The Mortal Thor gives you everything you need to know. The Norse Gods are myth again, and there’s a blonde man with a hammer trying to get a job. This blond man, Sigurd Jarlson, has amnesia and an incredibly passionate heart. This issue has a lot to do with making readers relate to him, and it knocks it out of the park with Marvel’s tried-and-true method: making him poor and then making him good. Sigurd is fun to follow, and so far, his cast of characters seems just as delightful, even if one of them is totally Loki in disguise.The real meat and potatoes come from the halfway point, where the issue takes a serious stance on picket lines and strikebreakers. Ewing speaks directly to audiences about treating others better than we currently do, through Sigurd’s speech and Ferry’s art, and does an excellent job of portraying the emotions of every character. However, where Ferry’s art truly shines is in its portrayal of violence. The Mortal Thor #1 is bloody, more bloody than I was expecting, but it did not disappoint. Overall, a fun read, and one I’ll be looking out for. This is a great starting point for readers who have never connected with Thor before, and this grounding of his character may make way for new fans. -LM
- X-Men #21
- The march on the Age of Revelation continues this week in X-Men #21. With Cyclops still sitting in jail following the events of the last issue, Magik’s in charge and she aims to close the file on the Trevor Fitzroy and the Upstarts. Writer Jed MacKay’s run on X-Men continues to round into form this issue as the 3K plotline develops further setting the stage for the Age of Revelation. The Upstarts were a weird group to be involved in this overall arc as they were seemingly tangential at best to the plot. This book has had a lot of teams running around for the last 20 issues. I will say this week’s ending made the upstarts worth it. I won’t spoil it but it’s a real sicko moment for X of Swords fanatics out there. Just as MacKay is starting to hit his stride, Netho Diaz’s art is really taken off. While Ryan Stegman is ostensibly the main artist on the book, Diaz has done his lion share of issues and has found his artistic voice for the book. It feels in line with Stegman but visually it is its own thing. The fight between the X-men and the Upstarts was inventive and well executed. I have upgraded from being down on the X-line as a whole to being cautiously optimistic for Age of Revelation. –JJ
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