Its Wednesday, new comic book day, and I’ve yet to speed by the shop to pick up my copy of Kirby Genesis #1, so here’s a spoiler-free review of a terrific book that debuted last week.
Published by Marvel Comics, Mystery Men #1 by writer David Liss and artist Patrick Zircher is set during 1932 and features a group of all-new characters inspired by the classic pulp-adventure genre. On the surface, some of these heroes certainly appear to be little more than variations on iconic versions that we’ve all seen many times before, but read through this first issue (of a five issue run) and you will discover that the proof is in the pudding and in the manner of execution. Liss and Zircher have a winner on their hands. This issue is a perfect counterpoint for the same-old, same-old revamps, reboots and relaunches going on both elsewhere and even in-house at the House of Ideas.
It is worth mentioning that this project may have taken its cue from a much more recent series, than in anything from several decades past, and that would be Marvels prematurely aborted, and fan-lamented, 2007 revival of golden age characters called “The Twelve”. Fortunately for all of us, Joe Straczynski isn’t involved with this title, so maybe we’ll get to actually see the conclusion of this one.
Of the new characters revealed through the industry press earlier, only two are prominent this month, although a third is stealthily included. The Operative is somewhat akin to a gumshoe Robin Hood, and with a similar shtick, and given what happens to him in this issue, he’s probably going to need the skills of the merry band about to form around him. As entertainingly good as the film noir aspects of the Operatives back story is set up in this book, it is The Revenant who gets the scene-stealing introduction near the end of the issue, so hang onto your hat for a wild ride that is definitely worth the $2.99 price tag.