Strip #1

...The Comic Grows Up!

17 Feb 1990. Cover price 95p.
40 pages. Colour contents.
Marvel Comics, Ltd.

Edited by Dan Abnett.

Cover by Kevin O'Neill.

Free cover-mounted badge.

Contents:

.2 Get Doctor Who Magazine Now in-house advertisement.
.3 Contents / Indicia

.4 Marshal Law Stars And Strippers part one, w: Pat Mills; a: Kevin O'Neill, lettering by Phil Felix.

18 The Man from Cancer part one, w: Glenn Dakin; a: Phil Elliott, lettering by Phil Elliott, colouring by Steve White.

26 The Chronicles of Genghis Grimtoad part one, w: Alan Grant & John Wagner; a: Ian Gibson, lettering by Bambos Georgiou.

28 Incognito w: Paul Buck; a: Art Wetherell, lettering by Stuart Bartlett, colouring by Euan Peters.

36 Upholding The Law text feature by Kevin O'Neill; illustrations.
39 Next Issue
40 Marvel Graphic Novels in-house advertisement.

The proclamation may be "the comic grow up", but this still has a cover gift, shies away from more mature elements, and has (however tenuous) roots in superheroes with the presence of Marshal Law. If anything, this can be seen as a tame precursor to CLiNT, but there's still enough skewed weirdness to keep things interesting for those of us perpetually bored by the antics of costumed characters punching each other in the face - although there is that as well, and superbly done.

Without its claim beneath the title this would be an excellent first issue, but with that hanging over everything, a reminder of what could have been, this is merely a good title. Can merely defining itself as a mature title be so damaging? You might disagree, but such claims ought to be backed up with strenuous efforts to advance the form. The badge, surprisingly, doesn't refer to the comic at all, with the slogan "Bare Faced Chic" instead, as if advertising a women's fashion magazine. It isn't a bad statement, in and of itself, but not one which brings to mind comics.

What would be the perfect badge to sell a mature line? I'm not sure. It would have to be both amusing, as well as speaking to a sensibility that is interested in matters beyond spandex. Being so vague with (what is essentially) free advertising is a misstep - how are people to equate the random slogan with the title?

How good a first issue is this? The trade dress, stylish though understated distressing, is a very eighties look, and slightly disappointing. More critical is a lack of introduction, laying out the intended purpose of the title. Very large contents type makes this appear to be aimed at younger readers, and utilising the space better could have allowed for some communication from Abnett. A discourse with readers is one of the fundamental strengths of comics, and by ignoring this tool the title distances itself needlessly.

After the Big One destroyed San Francisco... After the war in the Zone ended in stalemate... After the superheroes came home...

A strippergram, dressed as the heroine Celeste, walks home through dark Downtown streets, fearing for her safety as a masked man follows her. Asking a stranger the location of the nearest police station, he answers that it is a secret, and when requested for the number is told that it is unlisted. As he leaves her, she runs in an attempt to lose her stalker. The masked man eventually corners her, dragging her to a rooftop where he drops her off the side, saying that "all super heroes should fly."

Marshal Law uses visual references to The Shadow, Bulletman, along with other classic characters, superbly, establishing the setting well. Employing a muted palette to emphasise the art, rather than drown it, further deepens the mood. A beautiful grotesquerie masquerading as a superhero story, with decay and squalor sitting beside gaudy Vegas-style illuminations to heighten the oddity of the city - somewhere between Furst's Gotham, Mega City One, and a Jean-Pierre Jeunet cityscape.

We don't get nearly enough of the background details to fully comprehend how everyday things manage to operate in such a place, but it is assumed that there are still-functioning utilities, and that people aren't slowly being driven crazy merely by proximity to such a place.

Reading like a pitch for an adult cartoon series The Man from Cancer isn't as clear in presentation as a first installment of a series really ought to be, with numerous imaginary elements (in the same style as the rest of the strip) crowding the events, this isn't as clear as a first installment of a continuing story ought to be.

Ian Gibson's artwork on The Chronicles of Genghis Grimtoad is simply amazing, though great art alone is no incentive to keep reading.

On the world known as Shadow-Earth, it came to pass that in the seventeenth year of the reign of Ranald the Protector, the savage hordes of Kang did storm the walls of Haven, and the blood of the brave ran red on the ramparts...

And the hideous image of Toadthrax the sorcerer did darken the skies, and his demons poured forth their fury upon the defenders...

In Inner-Haven, Karbunkle Grimtoad, sorcerer to King Ranald, cast the portents...

It reads like an awkward and unconvincing mix of every cheap fantasy paperback from the seventies smooshed together in a sticky pulp. Firstly, they called their world Shadow-Earth? My problem here (which I also have with DC Comics' Earth 2) is that is it difficult to imagine a civilisation referring to itself as being the alternative to the "real" Earth, in however diminished a capacity. A completely original name would have worked far better, as would a non-punny name for Karbunkle Grimtoad's given name. Would you call your child Carbuncle? Honestly?

At only two pages, of which a great deal is presented with text boxes, so little happens that it is difficult to get a sense of this setting as a real location, with attendant problems, unique culture, and character personalities shining through. Far too much is made of matters which aren't directly related to the title character. It is a strip which takes time to get into, which is a terrible handicap when given such a brief appearance.

The complete story, Incognito, follows Gloria Grant, a famous film actress, as she encounters a man and seemingly builds a brief friendship thanks to him not recognising her. It is a strip which draws on old crime comics, such as published by EC, with a satisfying twist in the tail. Although finely drawn, and with a definite style to the telling, there isn't quite enough to justify eight pages.

The most entertaining element is the three-page text piece by Kevin O'Neill, where he points out that Pat Mills hates superheroes. Hmm. There's a reason I like Mills' comics. Replete with numerous sketches, showing the development of Marshal Law, this is a piece which brings a little of the personal touch I appreciate so much.

It isn't the best start, but a much better opening salvo than most new titles.

Strip

#02