Rating: 3.5/5 – A Slower Issue Putting the Characters and Pieces Into Place.
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Marvel is just getting started with their big event in Original Sin as DC wraps up their big event in Forever Evil . The premise for Original Sin is that someone has shot the Watcher, not only killing him, but also taking out his eyes. Writer Jason Aaron is writing a murder mystery while posing many questions along the way. This is an eight part event and Marvel is smart in that it’s choosing to ship the series on a bi-weekly basis. Forever Evil lost a lot of it’s momentum with the final issue when it shipped two months late, and Marvel hopefully won’t be making that same mistake as issue number two comes hot on the heels of the first issue’s beginning chapter, but we’ll have to see how they stick to their schedule as the rest of the series ships over the next couple of months.
From the opening pages of this issue, you can see that Jason Aaron has chosen to put some of Marvel’s B-list characters right along side the A-Listers. Ant-Man, Punisher and Dr. Strange each play their roles in this issue’s investigation, put together as a team by a mysterious man in shadows. Not only are the B-list heroes taking a larger role, but Aaron is using D-list villains as well. Even the biggest Marvel fans will have to look up the villains in this issue if they want to know their back-stories and origins. It makes it fun to see some new characters in an event book like this, allowing Aaron to tap into some of the more unused and obscure characters in the Marvel Universe.
Aaron deepens the mystery surrounding the Watcher’s death in this issue and because of that, the story doesn’t move along as quickly. He’s building the suspense and laying out some of the clues. With six issues left, he has plenty of time to put it all together, but this issue feels like a set up issue. And the ending, because of the lack of knowledge about some of the characters, the story fell a bit flat for me.
In terms of art, Mike Deadato is a great fit for this title. His rendering of the obscure villains like the Mindless Ones and the Exterminatrix are stylized and a bit scary, despite their overall goofy look. I was a bit skeptical when finding out his name was attached to this event, but his art works here and he’s able to flex his style to fit the numerous amounts of characters involved. As far as single issues go, this may not be the best, but it does put the pieces and characters into place to tell the rest of the story. Aaron has six issues to go and next issue the story will start to pick up it’s pace.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
https://comicspectrum.com/ Covering the full spectrum of comics culture
Follow ComicSpectrum:
ComicSpectrum Comic Reviews 