Marvel Comics
1602 # 1 First Review
By Loretta Ramirez
August 21, 2003 - 16:19

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Neil Gaiman
Penciller(s): Andy Kubert
Inker(s): Andy Kubert
Colourist(s): Richard Isanove
Cover Artist(s): Scott McKown



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"If you are to prosper, in this world of secrets and powers, you must understand many things that happened before your time. How else can we understand our own time, or predict what may come?" Thus, Sir Nicholas Fury explains the value of continuity in the first issue of Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert's eight-part miniseries, 1602. Although this issue focuses on introducing characters and establishing plotlines, it equally stresses the fact that nothing starts at the beginning. We are all part of an on-going story, an on-going story that is fittingly symbolized in the serial format of comic books.

Gaiman pays homage to the history of comic books in this series which transports Silver Age Marvel characters into Renaissance Europe. And with Gaiman's honed story-telling, readers can feel similarly transported. The story centers around threatened legacies—England is in disarray as Queen Elizabeth is dying without an heir to her throne; a scattering of "witchbreed" are being hunted because of their birth powers; and the surviving Templar Knights struggle to uphold their inherited duty to guard a sacred treasure. Greed, hate, and fear storm the land, but Sir Nicholas, Doctor Stephen Strange, and a united team of "witchbreed" gather to defend their world and the legacies that make the world worth saving. Gaiman depicts this struggle with exquisite prose. Particularly poignant is the narrative of an imprisoned man with angel wings on the eve of his execution: "…when I take to the skies, for one last time, it will be as ashes." Also beautifully written are Strange's visions: "The square is filled with ghosts in pain, who scream in silent voices, trapped in their final moments."

Equally striking is Kubert's art, which combines historical authenticity with fantastical visions. In the castle interiors, coat of arms and weaponry decorate heavy stone walls, and dank timber beams span vaulted ceilings. Shrouded by mist, London is dimly lit by smoky torches and a scattering of stars. Taverns are sweaty and raucous. Half-timbered townhouses crowd the narrow alleys and further darken the night with coughing chimneys. Warm with candles and huddled furnishings, Strange's house is inviting against the rainy night, and his visions are vibrant and fluid. Most impressively drawn is an action scene where a "witchbreed" summons an ice wall to fend off guards; the art is so crisp that the page looks cold to the touch.

Overall: A

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