The Eternals #1

 

    Back to serve as a preview, perhaps, for the upcoming film (hopefully it'll be safe to return to movie theaters by the time it's released), Marvel has revived The Eternals in a new series.

   The focus here is on Ikaris, the point man and powerhouse for the race of immortal humanoids that were created by the incredible powerful (and gigantic) race known as the Celestials.

   Originally created by writer / artist / editor Jack Kirby, the series is much like Kirby's DC creation, The New Gods, in that no one other than the King seems to know how to use the concept. (Although there have been some fair attempts, including one by Neil Gaiman.)

   Also interesting to note that the original story, issued in 1976, had the Celestials arriving to judge the Earth - a process that would take 50 years. So just five more years to go!

   Anyway, on to the new series. It's a reasonable start (with a dandy cliffhanger ending), but it suffers a bit from a grim tone (though it does include some humor). There's a lot of ground to cover, and despite its large size, the first issue really just scratches the surface.

   The art is excellent and there's a lot of promise, so I'm going to hang with this one for a while. It's not Kirby - what is? - but it's a well thought-out take on the series, and it has potential. 

   Hopefully.

Grade: A-

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