EXILES #5
"Up North and In the Green, Part 1 of 2"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Judd Winick
Pencils: J. Calafiore
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: Transparency Digital
Letters: Sharpefont
Editor: Mike Marts
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
Winick renews my interest in and enjoyment of this title with some sharp dialogue, lots of colorful, fun characters and a setting that's much closer to home, bringing a smile to this proud Canuck's face. This is basically light super-hero fare dressed up with the conventions of such television shows as Quantum Leap, Sliders and Voyagers. It's not going to set the world on fire, but it is thoroughly entertaining.
The Exiles turn up in the Canadian wilderness in yet another parallel universe. Here, the Hulk has been running amok in Canada for months rather than the south American desert, and Alpha Flight, led by a Wolverine that never joined the X-Men, has been assigned the task of bringing the Green goliath down. Unfortunately, as Blink and the Exiles learn, the mission is
destined to have disastrous results... unless they intervene.
I loved Calafiore's art on the Peter David run of DC's Aquaman a few years back, and his stuff, though lighter in tone this time, is just as strong here. I was shocked to find a sense of consistency between his fill-in work here and the style of regular penciller Mike McKone. Their styles are radically different, but Calafiore provides a good visual flow in the overall context of the series. The colors are sharp as well. They're bright and fun, suiting the tone of the book.
As anyone who's read The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius can attest, Winick has a great sense of humor, and it shines through in the voices of most of the characters. But Morph really stands out. Including this character has allowed Winick to really cut loose with some clever, sometimes silly scripting. His often incredulous tone makes the impossible-to-believe premise of the series a lot easier to accept. Since Morph (and the others to a lesser extent) have trouble with the "reality" of their situation, it legitimizes the reader's disbelief and gives one something in common with the heroes.
Like Thunderbolts and Captain Marvel, Exiles has developed into a fun exploration of the richness of Marvel continuity and the wide variety of characters that scurry about the place. What sets Exiles apart, though, is that Winick is free to play more freely with those characters and concepts, and it makes for a more accessible read and opens up unchanging heroes and villains to new possibilities.
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