Volume 13: Marvels

Marvels (1994)

Author: Kurt Busiek | Illustrator: Alex Ross

"I was learning a great deal about the world, and even more about the pain of a forced solitude.
I was aware of everything... understanding nothing."

The individual stories that Marvels was originally envisioned to tell would've been interesting reading, but the unified, multi-layered work that it became is something very, very special. Writer Kurt Busiek cites Tom DeFalco as the man that provided inspiration for turning many ideas into one idea, so kudos also to him.

It revisits iconic comic moments that span 35 years (1939 to 1974) by exploring those events from the perspective of the regular people that were directly affected by them. It's the Everyman story entwined with the story of a world unprepared for the threats that face it.

The eyes and voice of the work belong to Phil Sheldon, a freelance photo journalist. Phil can't climb walls or shoot fire from his fingertips, he can't even protect himself from being swept up by a changing public opinion, but when the superheroes begin to bleed into society he's there to capture it with his camera. Sheldon embodies the fear, awe and confusion that grips a person as they watch two 'Marvels' fighting for dominance, tearing up a city like it was paper.

Flipping the perspective from the heroes and villains to the common man replaced the usual metaphor device with a more overtly relatable truth. It emphasised the choices and consequences forced upon the ordinary citizens thrust into a world they'd no control over.

I wasn't familiar with all of the storylines that played out upon the city like a canvas, but it didn't matter, the book is written in such a way that a lack of knowledge doesn't exclude you from Phil's story. Even if Marvels is the first comic book you've ever read, it still astounds. It's a love song to an age of comics that can never be repeated, and a genre breaking advancement in narrative that works on many levels.

It's also notable for being artist Alex Ross' comicbook début. His fully painted art style is unmistakable. Using people as character models helped capture a sense of dynamic realism. His heroes are truth exaggerated but never twisted into impossible forms.

The book collects together Marvels #0-4.

Verdict:

Volume 12: Wolverine: Weapon X

Wolverine: Weapon X

Author + Illustrator: Barry Windsor-Smith

"When all the secrets are exposed an' all the runnin' ends. Hell… Hell is comin'."

The story of how Logan got his adamantium skeleton. You've maybe read or seen that same event elsewhere in comics or film, but in Weapon X Barry Windsor-Smith, an auteur of the comic world, does it his way. He scripted, sketched, inked and coloured the work; it seems that the only thing he didn't do was the lettering.

It uses the comic book format's strengths in every way. Sure, you could adapt it into a film, but you'd lose most of what makes it special because it's not just the story that makes it memorable. In fact, it's hardly the story at all - it's the structure.

Often when a page is broken up into patterns the positioning of dialogue is what helps us keep track of which panel to go to next. That applies here, too, but it's more complicated because the text boxes are arranged in a stylistic, unconventional manner and sometimes there's more than one voice speaking simultaneously.

A large portion of it is what I'd call background chatter that's functional but hardly revelatory, and it's repetitious. So why is it there? It has a second function: it's arranged in a circular pattern upon the page and in order to advance the story you sometimes have to read widdershins. It's like a clock face that requires you to read it backwards (it's a timer counting down and we know what's going to happen when that timer reaches zero). It's structurally complex but easy to follow in practice. There were only two or three occasions when I was unsure of which panel I was supposed to go to next.

The book collects together Marvel Comics Presents #72–84. The story is also included in The Best of Wolverine, Volume 1 (2004).


Verdict:

Volume 11: The Incredible Hulk: Silent Screams

The Incredible Hulk: Silent Screams

Author: Peter David  |  Illustrator: Dale Keown

"My whole life has been so unbalanced."

The first issue of the arc occasionally goes to some weird places (such as bizarre happenings in a closet), but author Peter David does a fine job in giving us an insight into where the long-gestating relationship between the flawed Bruce Banner and his hulking alter ego is currently at, and why it's crucial for what will follow.

The type of story that it develops into uses the comic format wonderfully, pairing feeling and imagery in such a way that they work in tandem upon the reader (a state of affairs that's equal parts thanks to illustrator Dale Keown), one supporting the other in ways that are sometimes understated and all the more powerful because of it.

At this stage in the Banner/Hulk relationship the transformations are mostly under control, coinciding with the day/night cycle; i.e. during the day the Banner persona is the dominant one, whereas at night the Gray Hulk takes over. Green Hulk is repressed by both.

The communication between the personalities of Banner and Gray allows for a number of interesting parallels in both the astral plane and physical world, separately and together. (e.g. while Banner's friends fight to stop a threat in the physical world, he's deep in his psyche fighting for control of his conflicting emotions). Quite often the dramatic use of colour during those times is excellent.

There's a number of timely light-hearted moments and even a few stupid ones, but overall it's a mature story that'll have the biggest impact upon individuals who understand that maintaining personal relationships is difficult; to take trust to a higher level it's necessary to willingly give a part of yourself, an act that weakens you while also strengthening a different but interdependent side – in short, it changes the individual. Someone with a fractured psyche, someone such as Banner who's fought to attain a kind of equilibrium (a shaky one), has every reason to need the trust but fear the change.

The book collects together The Incredible Hulk (Vol 1) #370-377.

Verdict:

Volume 10: The Amazing Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt

The Amazing Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt

Author: J. M. DeMatteis  |  Illustrator: Mike Zeck

"Don't fear me. Love me. For I intend to bless you. With pain. And blood. And Sorrow. Tonight."

I didn't expect it to be very good because Kraven hasn't held much of an allure for me in the past, but Kraven's Last Hunt turned out to be one of the finest Spider-Man stories I've ever read. Hell, it's one of the finest comics I've ever read. J. M. DeMatteis crafted a dark tale of personal suffering, full of symbolism and primal longings that puts many of the other writers on the Marvel roster to shame.

One of the reasons it works so well is because there's very little dialogue. Often writers use dialogue to bridge the gaps between small parts or to lengthen action scenes. There's no such trickery herein. Instead, there are inner monologues to tell the story; they really get inside the head of each of the three main players: Spider-Man (obviously) and two very different antagonists.

It struck me that reading KLH feels like reading a Noir text, but not any Noir that I've ever encountered before. Neither Spade nor Marlowe could climb walls for a start.

Quite often whole pages go by with no text at all because it's not needed. The imagery from Illustrator Mike Zeck is able to deliver everything we need to follow the drama. His work oozes dynamic movement and pace. The colouring paints everything with a shadowy, other-worldly brush. The colours act like a kind of curtain or a veil that gets pushed aside just enough to let the person behind it act out their role. It's a truly collaborative effort between writer, inker and colourists, and no one part would be as powerful on its own.

With a little help from William Blake and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, DeMatteis presented us with an enduring tale of men fighting for their sanity in a world that seems destined to take it away from them piece by piece. It deserves a place on every comic fan's shelf.

The book collects together Web of Spider-Man #31-32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293-294,
and Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132.

Verdict: