THE EXILES #14
"I Cover the Waterfront, Part One"
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Judd Winick
Pencils: Mike McKone
Inks: Jon Holdredge & Livesay
Colors: Transparency Digital
Letters: Paul Tutrone
Editor: Mike Marts
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Winick's exploration of All Things Marvel continues, and it remains as fun as ever. As this issue began, it seemed as though we were in for an entertaining but ultimately ordinary adventure. And then I hit the latter half of the book, which focuses on one character. Winick achieves a nice balance between characterization and action, and McKone's art is as strong as ever. Exiles stands out as a consistently strong book month after month.
The Exiles have arrived on a world where Prince Namor has led an Atlantean invasion of the surface world, and he's well on his way to succeeding. He's gained a foothold in Latveria, and that means the Exiles must help the most dangerous villain from just about any reality: Dr. Doom. While his teammates head off to free Doom's troops, Mimic infiltrates Doom's castle, which is under the control of Atlantean forces. As he makes his way through its halls, he reflects back on the life he was forced to leave behind.
The flexible nature of the premise of this book really lets McKone flex his design muscles. New takes on familiar characters are always finding their way into this book, and those sleek new looks bring new life to some old favorites. He conveys action and emotion equally well, and Transparency Digital's bright colors suit the super-hero story while never coming off as too gaudy either.
One of the strengths of this team book is that the Exiles are essentially a bunch of dimensional refugees, finding new purpose in their new mission after living some unfortunate lives. But here, Winick points out that Mimic is different. In his reality, life was great. He was a revered hero, and he lived a peaceful life with good friends surrounding him. He's been torn from that life, and in this story, he questions his new relationship with Blink as perhaps an attempt to fill that void as opposed to a genuine connection. This kind of characterization lends a believable tone to these unbelievable characters, and therefore, the incredible adventure they're on as well.
Winick balances such strong character-driven points with plenty of adventure and fun. Morph continues to shine in his comic-relief role, but Winick wisely includes more to the man than just jokes. Though the catalyst for this series was something of a forced plot device, Winick has nevertheless put it to good use, making for unpredictable adventure, moments of touching humanity and a fun look at the vastness of the Marvel Universe through fresh eyes.
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