CREDIT: Marvel Comics
Rating: 5/5 – A Breathtaking Fantasy World Full of the Weird!
by ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
I love this book! Weirdworld has the fantastic creative team of Jason Aaron and Mike Del Mundo flexing their imaginative talent in a world of fantasy and…the weird. Weirdworld seems as though it isn’t bound by any rules. There’s so much creative freedom allowed within and the opening pages prove it by showing the hero fighting giant squid-sharks before he almost falls over a waterfall that leads to nowhere. Imagining a scene like that is one thing, but seeing it brought to life is another and artist Mike Del Mundo is able to do just that.
Coming off his exquisite run on Elektra, Del Mundo uses a similar style here on Weirdworld. It’s a painted style that uses the alien landscapes to show off bright colors and contrast. There’s the greens of the forest that look real and lush, all while maintaining an obvious fantasy influenced theme. Then there’s the deep reds in Arkon’s blood and the reflection from an off panel sun that lends to a setting and atmosphere that’s gorgeous yet dangerous. Del Mundo seems to have poured everything he’s got int this work and each panel tells a story all its own. This is by far the best looking book to come out of Secret Wars, and although the subject matter is quite different, I’m enjoying the art here more than on the main Secret Wars book and that’s saying a lot!
Jason Aaron is writing a story that’s not only allowing Del Mundo to shine, but also using concepts from Marvel’s bronze age that haven’t been seen in quite a while. Originally appearing in Avengers number seventy-five, Arkon was a Roy Thomas and John Buscema creation. He was the ruler and warlord of a world called Polemachus, and here in Weirdworld, Arkon is the main character searching for a way to get back home. Aaron doesn’t explain how he got here, instead he throws Arkon and the reader right into the action and right into this world that was originally introduced in an old 1970s issue of Marvel Premiere. It’s a smart choice that puts adventure first and there was never a time that I questioned why, I just wanted to read more.
Besides an amazing adventure with art that will amaze you, Weirdworld will also prove that it doesn’t have to have one of Marvel’s flagship characters on a book to make it a successful tie-in to a line-wide event. This is a superstar creative team dusting off some old ideas and concepts and giving them a beautiful fresh coat of paint. I know Weirdworld is a spinoff from Secret Wars, but I’m hoping that somehow Arkon and this world can live past the event. This is by far my favorite book coming out of Secret Wars so far and I can’t recommend this enough. Read. This. Book.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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