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Original Sin #3 (of 8)
Marvel Comics, $3.99, 36 pages
Released: June 4, 2014
Story Grade: B+
Issue Score: 78.25
TRUTHFULLY RECOMMENDED
"Trust No One, Not Even Yourself"
(22 pages / 89 panels / 1,979 words / 14:50 read time)
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Mike Deodato
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Tom Brevoort, Wil Moss
Here's the best thing I can say about Original Sin: After failing to add the series to my pull list — a new weekly, or bi-weekly series being too hard to budget, since it means extra books I have to cut to make room — I have now pre-orderd the final two issues. I picked up the zero issue off the stands at my local comics shop as an impulse buy and, although not particularly blown away, did the same with Issue 1. That issue was good enough that I've now done the same with Issues 2 and 3, and plan to be around for the rest of the run. Mike Deodato's art is pretty phenomenal, but the real star, for me, is Jason Aaron. I'm only familiar with his work from Thor: God of Thunder and now Original Sin, but I have to say, based on that alone, I'm liable to try just about anything with his name on it.
As an aside, the indicia for this issue notes that this eight-issue, bi-weekly limited series, is "published monthly except May, June, July and August." Given that issues have already been sold and solicited for those months, I'd be interested to know that that's all about.
On most fronts, the plot does not advance a ton this issue. Dr. Strange and The Punisher are still buddy-copping out in space, as are the other random-picked heroes. I have to say, I'm still getting over Bucky no longer being the one comic book character I could count on to stay dead. To now have him gallivanting around the cosmos is, frankly, a bit disconcerting. He also makes a pretty quick return to earth, without the apparent aid of a space ship, for the issues climax, but always with your comics a little suspension of disbelief.
Meanwhile, back on earth, or at the center of it anyway, we don't learn much from Black Panther's team that we didn't already know, while up above we get nothing more than a cameo from The Thing, so who's knows what his deal is at this point. But, what is interesting is how the series gets a new McGuffin, in the form of intangible ideas rather than a physical object, when The Orb blows up a truth bomb on our heroes. I must admit, I'm not familiar with Pal Orbbie, who I presume is not a new character, and can't help but be reminded of Bill Schelly's The Eye at every panel he appears in.
The truth bomb did induce one unintentional laugh-out-loud moment this issue as Thor does his best imitation of The Baker, from Into the Woods — "I have a SISTER?!" I assume Aaron will follow up on that revelation in winghead's regular title.
In fact, it seems that's to be the case with most of the heroes as most of whom scamper into the shadows after learning whatever is is they're not supposed to know. I would have preferred a bit more follow through here, in this issue, but the revelation that even Cap has secrets, and that Fury saw nothing, helps to bring a sense of completeness to this chapter even with so many question marks left dangling in the air. Besides, the big reveals of this issue (SPOILERS), including the murder of a planet and the apparent beheading of Fury, along with the continued creep-out factor of the Watcher's roly-poly eyeball, makes for plenty of "gosh-wow" moments to stir my inner 12 year old.
On the art front, I really like what Deodato is doing, breaking up single images into smaller panels. It's a technique that's usually employed to slow down time in a scene, but not so much here, as things continue to move along at a pretty break-neck pace. Instead of slowing down the story, however, the effect is to slow down the reader, really inviting him or her to contemplate each image. As a strorytelling style that could grow old, but for now it's really enhancing the mood of this space noir thriller.
Along those lines, I think Martin's coloring also deserves a shout-out. For some reason it seems to have a real Atom Age vibe, which enhances the noirness of Deodato's art. I'm not sure if Martin is purposefully trying to be evocative of those old EC Weird Science comics, or if the comparison is all in my mind, but this is one the few times when the coloring — which, being a child of the '70s, I still tend to think of as a production value, rather than a true part of the artform — actually enhances the reading experience for me.
My only trepidation is the sheer number of cross-overs this event series is generating. I'm no stranger to having comics stories go south on me because I'm not financially able to keep up with all of the crossovers, tangents and ancillary adventures. Most recently, Age of Ultron and DC's Forever Evil. Still, to date, Aaron is holding it all together between the pages of the main event, and I'm not yet feeling lost.
My only trepidation is the sheer number of cross-overs this event series is generating. I'm no stranger to having comics stories go south on me because I'm not financially able to keep up with all of the crossovers, tangents and ancillary adventures. Most recently, Age of Ultron and DC's Forever Evil. Still, to date, Aaron is holding it all together between the pages of the main event, and I'm not yet feeling lost.
[COVER: 7.75 — PLOT: 7.50 — SCRIPT: 8.75 — LAYOUT: 8.50 — ARTWORK: 9.25 — EDITING: 7.0 — COLORS/PRODUCTION: 9.0 — DOLLAR VALUE: 4.25 — COLLECTIBILITY: 7.75 —GOSH-WOW FACTOR: 7.25]
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