On the Battleworld, Baron Korvac and his protectors (once known as The Guardians Of The Galaxy) are preparing to receive a visitor, Baron Simon Williams (known in some worlds as Wonder Man.) Five bucks says violence is imminent…
Your Major Spoilers review of The Korvac Saga #1 awaits!
THE KORVAC SAGA #1
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Otto Schmidt
Colorist: Cris Peter
Letterer: VC’S Clayton Cowles
Editor: Katie Kubert
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in The Korvac Saga: Michael Korvac was a lowly computer technician when he became first a cyborg, then a cosmic-powered villain known as The Enemy. His battle with the Guardians Of The Galaxy and The Avengers left many heroes dead, and only the last-minute sacrifice of his beloved Karina saved the lives of Earth’s Mightiest heroes. He’s popped up here and there in the years since, but the watch words for Michael Korvac make for a dangerous whole, combining phenomenal power with utter madness in a ruthless melange that could always spell destruction.
‘Course, this is a whole new world, so I dunno if ANY of that is still relevant…
ORIGINAL GUARDIANS REPRESENT!
In the domain of Forest Hills, a man sits alone, muttering to himself about nothing in particular, wondering whatever happened to the stars. The Guardians Of The Galaxy (herein just called ‘The Guardians’, as there are no more galaxies after the multiversal collapse that led to Secret Wars) arrive, only to discover that he is Emil Blonsky, the Abomination, and fisticuffs ensue. Back in the palace that serves as their base, Starhawk struggles to discover an unseen piece of the puzzle regarding the strange affliction that has struck Blonsky (and apparently, quite a few other), while their Baron, Michael Korvac, prepares for a summit with the neighboring realm of Holy Wood, a sly reference to its Baron, Simon “Wonder Man” Williams. When Williams arrives, he brings with him his retinue of protectors, and prepares to enter parlay with Korvac and his territory, but there are strong undercurrents of unpleasantness in Wonder Man’s demeanor.
THE 1970s AVENGERS
One delightful bit of continuity: Williams’ team consists of Yellowjacket, Moondragon, Jocasta, The Vision, Hercules, The Black Panther, The Black Widow and Captain Mar-Vell, also known as “pretty much everyone who joined the Avengers between 1968 and 1976.” (Yes, I know that Beast and Hellcat aren’t there. Shush.) The page in which they appear is a perfect example of the double-edged sword that is the art in this issue: It’s a cool splash with each character looking mostly heroic, but also weirdly stiff and oddly posed. Black Widow has it especially bad, with her limbs locked like an action figure, floating in mid-air. Still, there are great moments of character in the art, as seen when Wonder Man and Korvac shake hands for the first time, or the fear in Carina’s eyes at the end of the issue as she is overwhelmed by the question of whatever happened to the stars. It’s a pretty chilling ending, but upon my first reading I was a little bit taken aback that it was actually the END of the issue, leaving me with the impression that not much actually happens this time around.
THE BOTTOM LINE: SOME GOOD IDEAS, BUT…
Abnett’s dialogue is skillful (the digs between Avengers and Guardians are beautiful, and Charlie and Nikki’s whispered conversation about hating Hercules is lovely), but there’s a lot of talky-talky throughout this issue, leaving us once again with what feels like too much setup in this first issue and not enough room to process and understand what that setup is establishing. Still, The Korvac Saga #1 does okay for those who fondly remember those 70s stories that spawned it, and implies palace intrigues and such in upcoming issues, which we don’t always see a lot of in comics, earning a slightly above-average 3 out of 5 stars overall. I’m disappointed with the pacing of the material, but what it delivers is makes for an interesting read…
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