Your eyes are not deceiving you folks, it’s the official return of Infinite Man & Aron Fist! After bringing you our coverage of Shadowland and Fear Itself, it was evident that Marvel events were taking a toll on our sanity and quite frankly just not living up to all of their hype. Well, we’re back again to see if the latest event lives up to the expectations and is worthy of your time and ours. So sit back and relax as we try to figure out who kills The Watcher and what else is in store for the fans in Original Sin!
Original Sin #0
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Jim Cheung & Paco Medina
That question on the cover is a very good one, and this issue wants so badly to answer it for you. Being that Uatu is one of the most prominent Watchers in the Marvel Universe since his debut in the sixties, it would make sense that before he’s killed off in this new event that we know a little more about the guy. Let’s face it, up until now, Uatu has been mostly regulated to cameo appearances over the years, though whenever he shows up you know it’s for something monumental in the Marvel U. And if we’re lucky we’ll see him continue his streak of breaking the Watcher Oath which he still holds the lead for.
Mark Waid does an excellent job here using Nova as our guide, so to speak. The young hero poses such a simple question to Iron Man and Cap about Uatu that it stumps them. From here he goes off to the moon to pay the guy a visit, and through a series of events in Uatu’s home his question is answered along with the one that he really wanted the answer to in the first place. Some may say that “nothing happens” here because it’s not jam packed with punching, boobs, and explosions. However, it’s the nice steady character build here that wins out.
If you’ve come to expect great looking artwork from Cheung and Medina, then it’s all here and made even better by Justin Ponsor’s colors. Let’s just say that it’s so great that if this issue was to be a silent one with mostly art moving the story instead of Waid’s narrative, I’d be just as happy. There are so many great looking scenes throughout the issue it’s hard to pick just one that stands out. Though when we get to see how much The Watcher is actually watching, it’s a huge moment visually and it’s a good chance to see if there are any little hidden surprises scattered among the visuals in that two-page spread.
Original Sin kicks off rather strong with this issue, and though we don’t get a lot of “who” The Watcher is, the question of “why” is clearly answered here. So if you had no point of reference for Uatu before this then Original Sin #0 is a nice place start, and even if you’re a longtime reader you’ll get something out of this as well. – IM
Rating: 4/5
“Original Sin.” Marvel’s big event of the summer is finally here! So, that means summer is here, right? Can you feel it? I can’t either. It probably won’t feel like summer to me until I get to see Uatu in a Speedo.
Wait. Uatu’s is going to what? Inconceivable!
Let’s get to it!
Who Shot Ya?!
Original Sin #0 opens with Nova squaring off with the dangerous and deadly Tomazooma! (Gesundheit!) The Avengers show up just in time to see Nova brushing the dust off his shoulders from his battle with Tomazooma (It’s not Attuma!), but he was really hoping for Uatu, The Watcher. However, the whole exchange between the Avengers and young Nova felt very much like when the Ultimates would stick their nose in Pete’s business in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Nova learns a thing or two about Uatu and the Watchers. Enough to nearly make his head explode. When I found out the Watchers are close in origin to DC’s Guardians, even my head almost exploded. Also, if you pay close attention to the interaction between Uatu and Nova, you will be left with a very intriguing mystery.
Mark Waid did a great job of giving a rundown of what Uatu and Nova are about. This is very handy if you have never read Nova and have never encountered Uatu before. Jim Cheung’s art, as always, is pretty to look at. It was also nice to see some of the Young Avengers Cheung is known for thrown into the various scenes that the Watcher was watching.
Though I wish Waid and Cheung were staying on the series, the creative team passes to Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato for Original Sin #1. I like Deodato’s art and I am hoping that Jason Aaron can win me over after giving me too many boring letdowns over the years.
Keep it tuned here, folks! We’re just getting started! Until next time, I’m going to go stand in the television department at Sears and pretend I am Uatu. -AF
Rating: 4/5
Well that wraps it up for the lead in issue into the event, so let us know what you thought in the comments below!
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
Aron White
aron@comicattack.net
