MORLOCKS #1
"Initiation"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Shawn Martinbrough
Colors: Gregory Wright
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mark Powers
Price: $2.50 US/$4.00 CAN |
I know what you're thinking... yet another limited series tying into the world of Marvel's mutants. We've seen it a hundred times over, right? Not exactly. This book boasts work from two sharp talents known for their work at DC, and Marvel readers are in for a treat. This is a solid introduction that's surprisingly independent of the constraints of X-Men continuity. Solid art, and deliciously dark art.
Three would-be criminals speed away from a robbery with the Chicago police hot on their tail. Only one of their number manages to escape, but he's feeling strange. He finds himself in the sewers under the city, and faced with a gruesome and unusual sextet. They are mutants. They are outcasts. They are the Morlocks. And they recognize in this petty criminal something unusual, something they see in themselves: power, confusion and the need to escape the mistrust of those who live above.
I loved Shawn Martinbrough's art on DC's Creeper. I loved it on Detective Comics. And I love it here. He was an excellent choice as artist on this book, as his style is perfectly suited to the dark tone of the characters and plot. Shadows, sharp angles and thick lines converge to create a foreboding yet exotic atmosphere. Wright's colors are crisp and surprisingly bright at times, but they never intrude on the darkness and haunted tone of the visuals.
Johns's paces this issue quite well, maintaining strong tones of suspense and action throughout the book. I was surprised -- and pleased -- to find that he not only started off with a whole new batch of Morlocks, but he even shifted from the setting from New York to Chicago. That move to the Midwest isolates these new characters from the intricate continuity of the original batch of X-Men enemies/allies in the New York underground. Smart move on Johns's part, as it makes for an accessible read for new readers, while the title and the antagonists provide the link to the X-Men that longtime Marvel readers may be looking for.
The title characters come off as thoroughly alien, and it's understandable why regular folks -- like the cops in this story -- would be afraid of them. But Johns instills in them, through his dialogue, a strong degree of humanity as well. The character concepts are strong as well. The powers and gimmicks introduced here are sharp and entertaining. I look forward to reading the rest of this limited series.
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