New superhero concepts, even those with a tie to established universes like those of DC and Marvel, have a rough time in the marketplace. I hope that Monolith can overcome this resistance to new characters, because Palmiotti and Gray have come up with an intriguing yet simple concept with a lot of power. It's very much like a modernized story in the vein of Stan Lee, taking a mythological character, throwing in a modern twist and relying on strong characterization and a believable world to make it work. This is very much a story about realistic, well-fleshed-out characters as much as it is about a monster with tremendous power, and Phil Winslade is an ideal choice for the book on that score, given that his work is very much in the realistic vein.
Palmiotti and Gray have gone to a lot of trouble to set this book in a very believable and real New York City, and Winslade does an excellent job of making that portrayal come to life. The detailed buildings, intricately designed interiors and realistic-looking clothes and people all make this book feel like it takes place in a real world setting, rather than the four-color exaggeration that is often the setting for super-hero tales. I also really enjoyed seeing the flashback to the an earlier version of the city, which also very much draws the reader into the setting. Although the story seems likely to focus on modern-day New York and a modern-day street kid named Alice, the flashbacks set in '30s New York were important and very interesting parts of the story.
I must confess, as interesting as I found Alice, I'm hoping we'll get more flashbacks to Millie and her life with the golem as well. Even as we see the end of her life, there's a definite strength, courage and human kindness in her, and we see through the references to her battles with the city that kept her house where it was that she maintained that strong will throughout life. Alice makes an interesting contrast with her grandmother, as she's much more cynical and modern, but that core of strength and independence is clear in her as well. Palmiotti and Gray spend a lot of time on these regular characters, establishing who they are and what their lives are like, before introducing the superheroic elements.
The first appearance of the golem is an exceptional scene, very cinematic in its presentation, and I love that the creators keep him off-panel for most of this first issue, showing us only the reactions of others to him. Along with their realistic backdrop and characters, this makes him feel more fantastic, a more interesting element that stands apart from the world that Gray and Palmiotti are writing. I'm not entirely clear on whether or not The Monolith takes part in the DC Universe or not, but for right now, the world we see is one that is very similar to our own, making the presence of the golem more fantastic as a result.
This reminds me in all the right ways of the work the pair has done on their unusual super-hero noir story 21 Down, with a good concept, exceptional characterization and terrific artwork to back them up.
