Written by Ed Brubaker.
Art by Steve Epting; Dave Stewart; & VC’s Eliopoulos.
Cover Artists: Steve Epting; Gerald Parel; Steven McNiven & Dexter Vines; Dean White & Justin Ponsor; Phil Jimenez & Morry Hollowell; & Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, & Javier Rodriguez.
1939 Daily Bugle Written by John Rhett Thomas; Jess Harrold; Sheila Johnson; Dugan Trodgglen; & Jeph York.
1939 Daily Bugle Art by Chance Fivesh, with layout by Brian O’Dell.
1939 Daily Bugle Cover Artist: Mike Mayhew.
Collection Cover Art by Steve McNiven.
SUMMARY:
Released in 2021 by Marvel Comics, this 219-page paperback compiles 2009-2010’s The Marvels Project # 1-8 limited series.
Narrated by Dr. Thomas Halloway, the prologue is set in 1939 New York City. Halloway is a hospital’s attending physician for a dying Matt “Two-Gun Kid” Hawk. Fascinated by Hawk’s imaginative claims of time-traveling and future 20th Century adventurers he dubs ‘super-heroes,’ Halloway subsequently receives an unexpected treasure upon Hawk’s passing. Did the former Old West gunslinger already know of Halloway’s own destiny in launching a fateful new generation of heroes?
In the coming weeks, Halloway becomes the nocturnal vigilante dubbed ‘The Angel,’ as street crime has grown rampant. Elsewhere, Dr. Phineas Horton’s creation, the Human Torch, initially terrifies the world. Struggling to control its powers along with an instinct to feel human, Horton’s benevolent android goes into hiding. A chance encounter with mobsters convinces the android the only way to experience humanity is to become one of them by quietly posing as policeman Jim Hammond.
When the renegade Namor the Sub-Mariner’s vengeful at-sea assaults against humanity reach Coney Island, the Torch has no choice but to publicly confront him. Their spectacular battle leaves Namor with an intense desire to destroy the Torch in a rematch.
Recruited by U.S. Intelligence, Nick Fury and his friend, Red Hargrove, successfully complete a daring two-man commando mission inside Germany to retrieve German scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine. They briefly encounter the mysterious super-soldier, John Steele, who had been held captive in suspended animation by German scientists since World War I. Upon his escape, Steele fights the Nazis in guerilla warfare on their own home turf. As it’s revealed, a repentant Erskine’s genetic experiments will ultimately change the course of the war.
Meanwhile, two brutal homicides of the Angel’s allies motivates him to intercept a Nazi cell within New York City. That same enemy spy ring intends to disrupt Erskine’s experimental procedure on a young test subject, Steve Rogers. Partially duplicating Erksine’s lost Super Soldier Serum, the Nazis unleash its own weapon: the monstrous Red Skull. The Nazis gain another weapon in the Atlantean powerhouse: Merrano the U-Man and his loyal army of malcontents.
A rookie Captain America first meets the Angel, as they converge on New York’s murderous Nazi spy cell. Along with Bucky, the two heroes reunite in a nocturnal showdown against U-Man’s renegades. An embittered Namor ambushes the Torch, not realizing that Captain America is also present. Once he discovers Merrano’s traitorous actions, a humbled Sub-Mariner is persuaded by Captain America and the Human Torch to join their Invaders strike team.
As the war rages on, Captain America and the Torch both recruit their teenage sidekicks: Bucky and Toro. Briefly seen are obscure Timely Comics heroes: i.e. Jeffrey Mace’s Patriot; Mr. E.; the Thin Man; the Phantom Bullet; the Ferret; Monako the Magician, among others. As the original Union Jack’s son, Brian Falsworth’s journey into becoming the Destroyer is also depicted. Through Nick Fury’s help, John Steele forwards a desperate warning of a catastrophic Nazi dual scheme to attack American soil.
Ultimately, the Invaders must divide its forces to thwart a simultaneous attack against Washington, D.C. and Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor. High above Pearl Harbor, the Human Torch and Toro defend Hawaii from a Japanese aerial assault. Protecting the British Prime Minister, Captain America, Bucky, and Namor are targeted at sea by U-Man’s Nazi-sponsored Atlantean commandos. The heroes are well aware that surviving this battle is only one of many still to come, if the Allies are to eventually prevail.
The epilogue briefly refences the impact the combined Marvels’ impact on the war. In the present-day, the saga’s legacy comes full circle. Specifically, a package is personally delivered to the late Dr. Halloway’s grandson.
Note: This title is also available digitally and as a hardcover.
REVIEW:
Reminiscent of how DC Comics effectively mines its iconic Golden Age, the same absolutely applies in Marvel’s stunning homage to its predecessor: Timely Comics. Revisiting and, to a degree, re-imagining the origins of the company’s original Big Three, The Marvels Projects is a first-class retrospective in every aspect.
With writer Ed Brubaker at the top of his game, the saga’s plotting (along with virtually every detail) is patiently executed. For instance, Brubaker faithfully introduces the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and, finally, Captain America one by one without rushing headfirst into a historic first team-up. His efforts are reminiscent of the reliable Roy Thomas playbook (i.e., Marvel’s The Invaders and later DC’s All-Star Squadron) by using obscure Timely heroes for some pivotal supporting roles and/or cameos. Brubaker, suffice to say, should proudly place The Marvels Project high up on his resumé.
Equaling Brubaker is the art team’s consistently high-caliber visuals, as they effectively update Timely’s pulpy Golden Age style. If anything, The Marvels Project is a welcome tribute to Marvel’s first creative talents. Given its subject matter (and occasionally grisly inferences), this book is appropriate for teens and up.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
In a full-page format, each Steve Epting cover precedes its story. The extras gallery starts with a two-page, unused concept of the back cover design. The full-page variant covers consist of: Issue # 1 (artists: 1. Gerald Parel; 2. Steve McNiven – both color and black-and-white sketch); and 3. Phil Jimenez); Issue # 2 (artists: 1.McNiven; 2. Parel; and 3. McNiven); Issue # 3 (1. McNiven; and 2. Parel); Issue # 4 (Parel); Issue # 5 (1. McNiven and 2. Parel); Issue # 6 (Parel); Issue # 7 (1. McNiven – this title’s cover image and 2. Parel); and Issue # 8 (1. McNiven; 2. Alan Davis – two-page spread; and 3. Parel).
Artist Mike Mayhew’s 1939 Daily Bugle cover appears in a full-page format. Meant, to a degree, as an in-joke, the 1939 Daily Bugle one-shot features articles on: Namor; the Human Torch; Halloway’s Angel; Betty Dean; Wolverine; Kang; a young Steve Rogers; Nick Fury; a tease of the Skrulls; the Rawhide Kid; the Wasp’s grandparents; the future Hellcat; and even Models, Inc. Marvel (being Marvel) specifies titles and volumes where one can continue exploring these storylines.
Also included is an editorial admonishing the Torch’s late creator, Dr. Phineas Horton, as a modern-day ‘Dr. Frankenstein;’ wink-wink ‘Letters to the Editor;’ and birth announcements of some familiar relatives to Marvel’s future heroes.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 9 Stars
