The Marvels Project

Ed Brubaker only writes two kinds of comics.  Great ones like “Sleeper,” “Criminal,” and “Incognito,” and “noble failures” like most of his run on “Daredevil,” the most recent volume of “Captain America” and now this.  From what I understand, “The Marvels Project” was commissioned to commemorate the anniversary of Marvel Comics by showing the origins of the “Golden Age” superheroes in their universe.  The story is told through the narration of the original Angel, a doctor turned masked vigilante, as he recounts historic events such as the unveiling of the first Human Torch, Namor’s first attack on the surface world, and Steve Rogers’ transformation into Captain America.

Unfortunately, Angel’s endless narration is so earnest and dull that it winds up robbing the story of a lot of its immediacy.  Rather than the rousing tale of the dawn of the “Age of Heroes” it comes off like a history lesson about a subject that you know is important, but just can’t bring yourself to care about.  While the 40’s setting seems like it would be a natural for Brubaker to write for, he seems hemmed in by the focus on superheroes.  As a result, his noir instincts only lead us to some nods to genre conventions such as a private eye getting in too deep, honest men on the run, and WWII-era espionage which makes up the very thin plot tying this all together.  Brubaker’s “Captain America” collaborator Steve Epting provides the art and for all of the man’s skill, his realistic style further deflates any awe or wonder this tale was designed to provoke.  I originally forgot to order this from Amazon when it came out, but I’m glad I paid less for it after picking it up from Comic-Con’s bargain bins.