Talk about the perfect throwback to a childhood spent reading comics and growing up in the eighties… Mark Millar (Wanted, Wolverine) successfully created a mesmerizing tale where fantasy becomes reality when comic heroes and villains cross over to the our universe. The story follows young Toby Goodman stuck in the aftermath of his parents divorce and coping with his ensuing bout of depression that is keeping him from being capable of handling the real world. Although his step-father is kind to him, Toby wants his real father, Jerry, to be around more because he looks up to him. Jerry is your "typical" comic collecting fanboy with no real direction and motivation, but that soon changes when he is presented with the opportunity to become the hero and save his son and the rest of the world when an onslaught of Marvel villains invade our world with hopes of destroying it.
This book captures Issues #1-6 of Marvel 1985, which ran from July - December of 2008. The story that Millar created is sure to please long-time comic fans thanks to all the interesting (and occasionally hilarious) cameos from popular heroes and villains, alongside some long-forgotten characters that are sure to bring smiles all around. This book is also very easily accessible to readers lacking familiarity to the Marvel universe due largely in part to the captivating characters from our world, like Toby and his father. I was actually pleasantly surprised how moving the story was as I read through it. I wasn’t expecting it to be so emotional. Dealing with divorce in a child’s life is a very sad topic and I believe that Millar really hit home with a lot of his readers by allowing them to sympathize with Toby.
Tommy Lee Edwards (Batman, Hellboy) managed to decipher a realistic approach to his panels for this unique story and his art is downright phenomenal. I don’t think anyone better could have been chosen to create this series alongside Millar. I am very happy with the final product and would highly recommend this to all readers alike.
Final Rating: 8.6 / 10
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1 comments:
So, I've thought about it, and I have decided to give 1985 an 8.0 rating. All I can do is rate it against the few graphic novels I have read so far, and unfortunately for 1985, you introduced me to the best novels first (Preacher, Y, 100 Bullets). But, needless to say, I really enjoyed 1985; the artwork was beautiful (especially the covers), and the story was very engaging.
So whatcha gonna review next, kid?
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