Marvel 1985 #4
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008
By: Joey Davidson/Dave Wallace
Mark Millar
Tommy Lee Edwards
Marvel Comics
"Small-Town Mutie"
Joey Davidson: 3.5 Bullets
Dave Wallace: 3 Bullets
Joey Davidson
I've been into the approach Millar has taken with this series since the word "go." The concept of super-villains and, later, heroes crossing into the real world (as real as it can be through a comic, I know) seemed interesting enough to drive a great story. Then throw in the art…the ART! I'm sure it's not something for everyone, but the art in this book has me stuck on the pages. The stock that it's printed on delivers a depth and surface that make the book feel tangible and worthwhile as it leaks into my bag every month.
But this issue will be regarded as the weakest in my mind. Up until this point, the directive and drive of the series has been how odd these villains feel in the common world. One boy struggled with the possibility of their presence and met it with a sort of half excitement that gave the plotline a level of charm unrivaled by most any major title on the shelves. Well, perhaps Kick-Ass comes close, but that's a Millar story as well… and it deals with supers in the real world… and it's about a kid taking matters into his own hands. Weird.
Like I was saying, this is the issue where the charm I fell in love with dissolved into a super-villain smash, murder and destroy stuff story. Gone is the oddity of their presence as those central to the plot have acknowledged it. And since they acknowledge that the oddity is gone from the existence of Marvel villains in the "real" world, so must we; thus, as they say, the thrill is gone.
But hold on a tick, this is still a great book. The artwork, even through these increasingly violent moments, remains stare-worthy. I've come to appreciate the depth of every villain as Edwards gives life to them in unique fashion. While the faces and shapes could be considered a bit muddy and imprecise, the tone of the tale works well. And adding a little something extra to the look of the story is the final two pages. We cross into the Marvel universe, and the color and style change slightly. It looks great, and I hope that we get to spend more time in the Marvel universe so that readers can stare at the new art a bit longer.
When collected, I'm more than certain that this stage in the arc will merely be glanced upon as an essential part of the story. Toby, the boy, finds strength to stand up to the house of villains and make a move that will progress the plot into the next issue. What he does is more than intriguing, and the moment the book closes is a kind one that will leave readers looking eagerly towards the next chapter in this mini.
Dave Wallace: 
This issue of 1985 was a little unsatisfying for me. I've been more or less enjoying the story so far, but I'm starting to feel as though the novelty of the "supervillains-in-the-real-world" premise is wearing off, and there isn't a very compelling or complex story beneath it.
That sentiment was particularly keenly felt this issue, as we get little in the way of plot or character development, replacing those elements with more scenes that show the destruction that's being caused by the Marvel villains on the loose in the "real world." Yes, there are more hints that these villains aren't in control of their actions, and we get some more significant information about Toby's father, but aside from that - and the developments of the last couple of pages, which I won't spoil here - there isn't that much information in this issue that's essential to the story. And unlike the most recent issue of Batman (which didn't move the plot forwards to any great extent, but which featured enough in the way of clever touches and interesting concepts that it was still very enjoyable), there isn't anything particularly stimulating to fill the void that's created by the lack of plot here. It feels as though the story has been stretched beyond its natural lifespan: as a four or five-issue series, this might have been a snappy, tight story, but with six issues to fill, it feels as though the book is spinning its wheels during this middle section.
I don't want to be too negative, though, as some sections of the book were still quite enjoyable. One of the series' greatest successes has been the revitalisation of several B-list Marvel villains who have become so familiar over the years that they don't seem as scary or threatening as they used to be. By transplanting them to a more realistic world, Millar has made them seem more menacing and potentially dangerous than they have felt in years, and this issue continues to demonstrate just how fearsome even minor baddies can be if you don't have super-powers. The opening action sequence gives us an exciting and sinister encounter with the Lizard, and later scenes show the carnage that ensues when the unopposed villains go on the rampage (including an impressive and surprisingly graphic shot of Bullseye mid-attack). It's fairly straightforward stuff, and the as-yet-unexplained motivation for the villains' actions makes it difficult to emotionally invest in the story, but the scenes still manage to make quite an impact, demonstrating the appeal of the book's concept well. I just wish there was a little more to it at this point.
As far as the visuals are concerned, I'm still not the world's greatest fan of Tommy Lee Edwards' artwork, but as I've gotten used to his distinctive style I've realised what a good fit he is for this project. Edwards has managed to give the book a sense of realism without making the Marvel Universe villains that have invaded the "real world" look ridiculous (which surely would have been more difficult had the book gone with a "fumetti" approach as originally planned), and he's also shown himself to be very gifted at creating a sense of atmosphere through his use of light and shadow. His colouring techniques have also served the central device of the story well: in eschewing the gaudy colours of the Marvel Universe in favour of more drab and realistic tones for his "real-world" setting, he's allowed the colourful, larger-than-life villains to really stand out against the more muted backdrops, again making them seem impressive and special after years of familiarity that have robbed them of much of their impact.
However, the art isn't without problems. Whilst my fellow reviewer Thom Young has picked up on several inconsistencies and anachronisms in both the artwork and script of previous issues of 1985, those kinds of details didn't bother me to the extent that they seriously affected my enjoyment of the book. However, I did notice a couple of weaknesses in the artwork this issue that did. The first is that there were a couple of instances in the opening action sequence where the panel-to-panel storytelling wasn't as smooth as it could have been, relying on readers to infer movement between panels that isn't immediately apparent. As a result, the sequence doesn't flow as smoothly as it might have. Secondly, some of the later images in this issue (on a page that shows the rampage of the MU supervillains) have a roughness to them that makes them jar with the otherwise detailed and refined style of the book. Maybe it's intentional, given the nature of the scene, but it's the one occasion where the mixture of the real-world and fantastic elements doesn't really work, and it pulled me out of the story a little. Finally, I'm not a huge fan of the simplified colouring style that Edwards uses for the segments of the book that deal with the Marvel Universe. I realise that it's intentionally flat and two-dimensional, but the simplified colours don't work well with Edwards' angular style, and since I expect the next issues to feature the MU more prominently, I'm worried that this is going to become more of a problem as the story moves towards its conclusion. Having said that, these are small weaknesses in an otherwise pretty effective art job.
My final comment is on the pricing of this series. Had this been a regularly priced issue, I might have been a little more generous and added another half a bullet to my rating. However, issues of this title are being priced at $3.99, rather than the more common $2.99 - and for an issue in which not a huge amount really happens, that price hike is particularly hard to bear. I don't see any justification for the extra dollar here, aside from the slightly more sturdy cardboard cover - and personally, that's not something that adds a huge amount to my reading experience. I can only assume that Marvel are gradually trying to introduce $3.99 as a standard price for their comics, and that's something that will only further encourage me to wait for the collected editions of these monthly books.
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