A strange fungus, hailing from a mystical city, has begun spreading and Marvel’s first family may be the first to fall victim to it’s grip. Your Major Spoilers review of Contagion #1 awaits!

CONTAGION #1 (of 5)

Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Roge Antonio
Colorist: Veronica Gandini
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Editor: Jake Thomas
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: September 2nd, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Contagion: A mysterious substance has been discovered in K’un Lun and not even the current Yu-Ti is familiar with what it is. But it has already taken 3 victims, so it’s clear that it must be stopped.

28 DAYS LATER, MARVEL STYLE

Contagion #1 begins a week in the past in the mystical city of K’un Lun. The Yu-Ti is alerted to a situation that’s sprung up: Three men have gone missing. She investigates a corridor that had just recently been discovered. Inside she finds two men who had been taken over completely by a fungus and killed.  But the third man is still missing.  Cut to Yancy Street where Ben Grimm is on the hunt for an appropriate cat litter. During his shopping trip a young kid approaches him and informs him that his friends have gone missing. The Thing reluctantly agrees to investigate. The search takes them into an abandoned subway station.  There they encounter one of the missing children, a girl named Ruby, who has been been afflicted by the fungus and attacks Ben and his young companion.  Ruby suddenly faints, but the troubles aren’t over yet.  Moloids, also infected, come swarming in.  The Thing calls for reinforcements from the rest of the Fantastic 4. They arrive and neutralize the moloids and The Mole Man.  The missing man from K’un Lun appears and neutralizes, Reed, Sue, and Johnny and it’s revealed that the fungus absorbs their powers as well as infects them. Cut to the home of Danny Rand a.k.a. Iron Fist.  Danny is awoken by the appearance of the Yu-Ti who is there to enlist his aid, since the world is at risk of being destroyed.

Cheesy Horror Done Right

There’s a thin line between good spirited irreverence and mean spirited cynicism. Contagion #1 falls on the former side of that line.  From the situation we find Ben at the beginning of this issue to the quips and sarcasm scattered throughout, there’s a severe lack of seriousness here that will be familiar to fans of Tales From The Crypt.  Also, the use of Ben Grimm as the main character in this issue feels fitting as he’s a punch first, talk later type character and so far this series has been more concerned with punching gross monsters rather than the science of the fungus. As of right now, my only concern with the writing is that the premise does feel a little thin and I’m unsure it can carry a whole miniseries without losing the fun tone it’s established in issue #1

One Expressive Rock

All in all, there’s not much to be said about the art. It’s good, it feels in line with most Marvel books right now.  It should be mentioned though that The Thing has a surprising amount of facial expression here, which is nice. Also, those who are afflicted with fungus are pretty gross looking which is fitting. One nitpick though is that they say that the fungus is rainbow colored, yet so far it’s only green on the pages. .

The Bottom Line: Good, Shallow, Fun

Contagion #1 isn’t going to blow anyone away, but it should entertain them. It is an enjoyable read that doesn’t take itself very seriously, but never really strays from middle of the road. The premise is classic comic book fun that has action to satisfy the classic Marvel reader and just enough grossness to appeal to the body horror fan. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

---

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.

Contagion #1

73%

73%

Amusing

Contagion #1 has a specific tone that may not appeal to everyone, but has enough in it that it should be at least entertaining to a lot of people, even if it’s a shallow story.

• Writing

  9
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  6
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0