Graphic Novel Review... Medieval Marvel Mayhem!

Marvel 1602, By Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert, Marvel

COLLECTING AN eight issue comic book series that set the founding characters of the Marvel Universe in the latter Elizabethan period. The Realm is in peril, and only Her Majesty’s chief spymaster, Sir Nicholas Fury, and her alchemist Dr Stephen Strange look set to save all that is held dear, and maybe the very world itself.

There is the Latverian threat of Victor Von Doom, otherwise known as The Handsome, and the spurious agendas propagated by Spain’s grand inquisitor; Magneto by any other name. There is also added to the mix the creation of James of Scotland’s desire to steal the English throne. But above it all is the discovery that something has slipped back in time, changed the makeup of the world, created the principle Marvel characters before their established existence and that it could signal the end of all times.

A couple of historical novels are brought to mind in reading this collection, Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe with its English racial themes, and adventure plot in general and Anthony Burgess’ A Dead Man in Deptford for its time period and outlining of the establishment of what would eventually become Great Britain’s secret services, MI5 and MI6. It also takes the modern easy money conspiracy concept that the Knights Templars were hiding some powerful weapon and uses it in a clever and impressive way. Alas, it tends to paint the New World of America as too much a place of salvation from the oppressed – for sure religious folk were persecuted in Europe but nowhere as bad as the various mainland continents. However, what America has always promised is opportunity, that I’ll give it gladly.

It reads well, the drawings likewise, but the fact is this is the equivalent of a DC Elseworlds story, the characters may be displaced but they remain true to the ones they play in their regularly published adventures. More fun it would have been to alter them similar to the way we saw with the creation of Counter-Earth characters in the early issues of Adam Warlock during the 70s. Also, while one isn’t expecting fight scenes aplenty they could have been choreographed by allowing them more space to take place. To that is added a conclusion wherein saving the day is almost throwaway afterthought wherein it applies the basic science get-out clauses comic book writers too often overuse.

An enjoyable read, honestly, but with holes in it if you consider the predicaments too long. But should we? The Marvel comic is ultimately intended for escapsist fun and in most respects it succeeds.

Sponsored by Target Media.