A world in need of heroes
As the end Queen Elisabeth 1’s reign draws near, a rift in time located on America’s East coast threatens to destroy not only 17th century Earth but the very existence of all the myriad of universe that ever were. In order to heal itself, the fabric of reality brings about the age of heroes 400 hundred years earlier than it should have happened. But can these “Witchborn” heroes manage to escape persecution from the Inquisition and Doctor Otto Von Doom’s machinations in time to save the world?
Sir Nick Fury and Doctor Stephen Strange plotting together
Behold as four people sail forth on a ship called the Fantastic through a shimmering disturbance and find themselves transformed into human representation of earth, air, water and fire. Be amazed as Peter Parquarg manages not to be bitten by spiders long enough to assist Sir Nicholas Fury, the Queen’s chief of secret police and his agents, such as the fearless blind beggar also known as the Devil. Wonder at Professor Carlos Javier’s exceptional pupils as they brig forth ice out of thin air, levitate wooden ships, blast stone wall with rays from their very eyes or spread their wings to fly. Can Doctor Stephen Strange’s magic be a match to the Grand Inquisitor’s magnetic personality? Will the man on the moon break his oath and finally intervene in human affairs? Who is this mysterious blond-haired native from America and the strange girl he has sworn to protect? And what’s the deal with all the dinosaurs chomping down American colonistsd?
Much more than a What If?
I mentioned at the beginning of this review that 1602 was akin to a “What If?” story, meaning a make-believe story based on a ludicrous setting such as “What if the founding characters of the Marvel universe were living in the 17th century”. Traditonally, “What If?” stories are akin to “it was all a dream” stories that ultimately have no bearing on anything beyond having wild unrestricted fun with a bunch of characters for an issue or two. In fact, Gaiman’s approach is much more ambitions than that. Without giving too much away, it is worth mentioning that instead of being just a silly cop-out without any consequences, it appears that 1602 actually manages to fit somehow into the “regular” Marvel continuity. ‘Nuff said for now, curious and sceptics can always read for themselves.
Everything new is old again
If you’re a "Witchborn", at least try not to get caught by the Inquisition
From the heights of my venerable 34 years of age, few things makes me feel more like an old geezer than walking into a comics shop. My personal golden age of comics were the late 80’s and although most comics published in these years (or in most years for that matter) were unpalatable crap, brilliant artists emerged, gems were crafted, and it is to those that I am still most attached. In those days, any comic that was not sloppy, pandering or ugly was an exception and worthy of purchase, aye, even adoration. Neil Gaiman’s work was certainly in that category, and still is.
Ever since my son was old enough to be swept in the Spire-man/Hulk mania that their movie re-birth brought about, I got a second chance of walking the sprawling, wonderful and gaudy halls of the house that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby built. Nowadays, it is plain to the naked eye that the overall level of quality of comics has risen dramatically since the 80’s but I just can’t seem to care about super-heroes comics anymore. I keep having the nagging feeling that even though these comics look much better than those of my youth, it is still the same old fisticuffs, same old melodrama, same old tight spandex and one-liners. But sometimes, in a damp corner of my aging mind, the dark urge lingers still, hungry for big concepts, selfless deeds of stellar magnitude and the dreams of being more than mere reality lets me be.
Is 1602 truly fantastic or is it just a big thrill to read a talented writer have so much fun with these old characters? I can’t say for sure, but as I read through the 8 chapters of the book, I did feel a certain excitement and percolate through the crust of my cynicism. Neil Gaiman certainly knows how to cut through the crap and craft truly inspiring moments. As we are (almost) completely free of Marvel’s sacred “continuity” in this case, truly bold characterizations and events can actually happen to major characters, including death, beheading, decades-long imprisonment and being an homosexual (this is a Neil Gaiman book after all..)
In good fun
Some funky artwork
The artwork is a pretty good departure from the usual superhero fare. Andy Kubert’s digitally coloured pencils are very nice indeed and the woodcut-style scratchboard covers are absolutely awesome and really set the tone for the whole book.
I can’t help but compare Neil Gaiman’s Marvel 1602 to Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen where heroes and villains from classic literature are thrown together in a delightful hodgepodge of Victorian super-heroics. In both case, the best part of the fun is in spotting the many references to the original material and marvelling at its new interpretation.
I may not rank this book as an absolute masterpiece, such Gaiman’s own Sandman, but it is certainly a wonderful experiment that will surely be a whole lot of fun to read for old and young dreamers alike.
