Marvel continues to be numerically challenged, as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary with the release of a series of comics centered on the line's Golden Age titles.Of course, the company was known as Timely then (more or less), and didn't become Marvel permanently until the '60s. But what the heck.
Thankfully, these special issues have been good - I'd even say they've been surprisingly good, since most of them focus on characters that aren't around much these days (unless you count The Twelve, although it hasn't been seen in a while, either).
This issue focuses on one of The Twelve - the Phantom Reporter (which has to be one of the most offbeat hero names in recent memory).
The story recounts his origin, which as far as I know has never been told until now. Written by historical novelist David Liss, the story is a tense mystery, as reporter Richard Jones tries to solve the mystery behind the murder of an old friend, and finds himself mired in city politics, underworld plots and the search for a sinister formula that promises... well, that would be telling.
It's a well-done story with a minimal amount of super-heroics, but lots of intrigue as Jones tries to find the balance between fighting the bad guys in print and in the back alleys.
The art is by Jason Armstrong, and it's very good - his characters are distinct and memorable (not always easy when there's not much in the way of traditional superhero costumes in evidence), he evokes the era well, and provides a dark, moody feel to the story.
With comics this good, I hate to see the anniversary end!
Grade: A-
No comments:
Post a Comment