Agents of Atlas is a very 1950's sounding name. True to its title this book is reminisicent of books from the 1950's era of Marvel comics. This is a reboot of one of those titles. Agents of Atlas begins with a recap of the last known mission of this group of heroes. The story is related to SHIELD agents Dum Dum Dugan and Khanata (cousin of the Black Panther) by Gorilla Man aka Agent Hale. The flashback to the first and last mission of the Agents of Atlas has a great pulp feel to it and allows the mystery of the series to unfold naturally. Overall this is a good issue.
Jeff Parker does a good job writing a very tight script that gives the reader a great sense of the characters. There's a lot that isn't said explicitly but is merely hinted at such as the loneliness of Jimmy Woo, Gorilla Man, the callousness of SHIELD towards these agents, the need that the Agents of Atlas were still working coverly under SHIELD's nose. It's all there but just under the surface. The fun of this series will be seeing Jeff Parker weave these stories into a cohesive whole. His characterization of Gorilla Man is terrific. Jimmy Woo is interesting but not compelling just yet. I can't wait to really learn more about the other members of the team (Venus, Marvel Boy, M-11).
Leonard Kirk's art hasn't looked this fresh in a long time. I am really enjoy the pencils in this issue. He can sure draw a gorilla firing a lot of guns that's for sure. Kirk has more fun in this issue than most artists do in drawing an entire series' run. The inking and coloring compliment the hybrid pulp 1950's adventure/superhero feel of the book.
A solid book. I'm not 100% sold on it just yet because this concept could go horribly awry. But I am looking forward to the next issue. |
