Dark reign
With the rising popularity of super-hero flicks like Watchmen, Iron Man, and the forthcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it’s easy to forget that most, if not all, of these well-loved characters are products of an industry that is as alive today as it was many decades ago. What started as a humor comic strip upon its inception in the early ’30s, the comic book has since evolved into a panel-after-panel account of ordinary lives rendered in extraordinary definition — a notch sweeter than your average teenage smut and suburbia. In other words, the pop medium has become anything and everything about what feels, lives, and breathes “S-U-P-E-R-H-E-R-O!”
Thus, you encounter characters who manifest mutant powers at the eclipse of their teenage adolescence, who get bitten by a radioactive spider and develop some form of spider sense, who discover that their parents are evil and run away from home, who get unhinged from time to right the various kinks in the multi-verse, who escape the destruction of their home planet only to become an iconic superhero disguised as a reporter for a leading newspaper, and pretty much a league of masked or unmasked vigilantes who embody anything and everything we once thought were beyond our wildest dreams.
The comic book is indeed a work of art. It’s prolific, pure, and poses the right kind of adrenaline and strategic cliffhangers to keep readers coming back for more. In fact, the progressiveness of the said medium is in its weekly, biweekly, and monthly release that sparks back-against-the-wall creativity from some of the finest writers, editors, and illustrators of our generation. Stan Lee, Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison, Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Clayton Crain — some of the movers and shakers who have met the stressful deadlines, collaborated on colossal levels, and consistently changed the comic book’s landscape over the past decades.
Last time we caught up on the merry makings of Marvel, we were fumbling along the Decimation Saga, fresh after the Avengers’ Scarlet Witch ended the war and uttered those three definitive words — “No More Mutants!” — everyone from Jubilee to the Blob was stripped away of his or her powers, and in a blink of an eye; the mutant population was decimated from millions to an iconic number of 198. (Read the article on struggling Mutants in www.philstar.com).
A time after that, Marvel was shook up by a Civil War that saw the unmasking of Spider-man a.k.a. Peter Parker, the death of Avengers torchbearer Captain America, and a 50-States Initiative that forced all masked superheroes to register with the United States government (Read the article “Whose Side are You On?”). This drove a ragtag team of left-of-center superheroes led by Luke Cage to go underground and ignite a righteous rift within the once united superhero community.
Meanwhile, a messiah complex was brewing for the Children of the Atom, coercing splinter forces within the decimated mutant sodality to capture, kill, or protect the first mutant baby to emerge since M-Day. For some of the players, this meant hope in that there was a chance to rebuild their dying race. For others, the mutant birth implied destruction as the baby, in Bishop’s alternate reality, was said to have caused the mass slavery and hysteria of all mutants. This saga saw the assassination of Professor X, the ascendance of the anti-mutant group Purifiers, Bishop’s betrayal of the X-Men to prevent his screwed up version of the future from happening, and Cable’s leap into the future with the baby in tow.
From the fallout of the 50-States Initiative, its destruction and the global malfunction of Stark Technology amid the curtailed machinations of the Skrull Empire in Secret Invasion, the revelation of avenger-of-the-hour Jessica Drew a.k.a. Spider-woman, Jarvis the Butler, and even Susan Storm as aliens posing as their human counterparts all this time, and the death of well-loved Avenger The Wasp, Tony Stark was removed as director of S.H.I.E.L.D and replaced by the Thunderbolts’ Norman Osborn, the former Green Goblin, for Marvel’s current umbrella offering: The Dark Reign.
Firing the definitive shot that ended the war between superhumans and an alien race known as the Skrulls, Osborn was given liberties by the US president to head a new world peace-keeping force known as H.A.M.M.E.R. and assemble his own version of the Avengers. He later convenes a clandestine meeting with Namor, the X-Men’s Emma Frost, Doctor Doom, Loki, and The Hood to establish a new world order, a darker and more treacherous version of the Illuminati, offering cabal solidarity and protection. Can you say, dark intrigue? Thus, from the spoils of the Secret Invasion, Marvel offers these spine-tingling titles to tickle our fancy and keep us reading and rereading on the edge of our seats.
Dark Avengers. Norman Osborn assembles the classic Avengers lineup – only not quite what we True Believers expect. The criminal Moonstone as Ms. Marvel? Daken, Wolverine’s estranged son, posing as his father? Venom as Spider-man? Noh-varr as Captain Marvel? Bullseye as Hawkeye? And to top it all off, Norman Osborn assumes the mantle of the Iron Patriot, an icon combining the superhero essence of both Ironman and Captain America. Hmmm… There’s something definitely not right with that picture. Let’s see how it plays out. Avengers Ares and Sentry join the cast.
Secret Warriors. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the team assembled by former S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury in Secret Invasion is thrust back into the legitimate spotlight. When Fury discovers the insidious reach of terrorist group H.Y.D.R.A. even within the highbrow agencies of the US government, the group tries to unravel and move past the mysteries and deceit, all the while dealing with Osborn and his unstoppable H.A.M.M.E.R.
Dark Reign: Young Avengers. Teenage rebels on the run from authorities… Nope, they’re not the Runaways. This is the nastier, poser kind. The Melter, The Enchantress, The Executioner, Egghead, Big Zero, and Coat of Arms, like their senior counterparts from Dark Avengers, have sequestered the mantle and celebrity of a well-loved superhero team. Wait ‘til they come face to face with the actual Young Avengers. That should be interesting.
Of course you have the regular titles from Marvel that are packing a wallop with the comic book community. Check out X-Force, the Uncanny Xmen, Exiles, Runaways, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, and yes, The New Mutants — they’re back! From House of M to Dark Reign, Marvel just keeps getting better. Come Avengers, Iron Man 2, and Captain America the Movie, make mine Marvel!
