Code of Honor (1997) # 1-4, Conspiracy (1998) # 1/2, Marvels: Eye of the Camera (2009) # 1-6

(I originally read these comics in mid/late April 2016)

'Code of Honor' was a sequel of sorts to Kurt Busiek's and Alex Ross' 'Marvels' with our man on the street a New York beat cop bearing witness to events in Marvel history over a period from the early '70s to the early '90s. Not that you would glean that from the artwork, as period detail is non-existent and the slew of so-called "artists" responsible, mostly producing hideously garish and dated work in Photoshop, clearly didn't communicate at all, resulting in characters looking completely different from page to page. (There's even a speech balloon referring to a character not being black, even though they were drawn that way earlier in the story!) There's also an issue with one artist ('perpetrator' would be closer the mark) using obviously black models for white characters. Chuck Dixon's script is as serviceable as you'd expect but taken as a whole 'Code of Honor' is a miserable failure.

   

'Conspiracy' is a short but involving 'X-Files'-type tale by Dan Abnett that posits the theory the "accidents" that gave birth to the Marvels were actually orchestrated as part of a shadowy government conspiracy. Igor Kordey contributes great, actual painted art as with his and Abnett's previous collaboration, 'Wonder Years.' 

 

'Marvels: Eye of the Camera' is the much belated, true sequel to Marvels, picking up where the original left off. Photojournalist Phil Sheldon is diagnosed with terminal cancer and must come to terms with his own mortality while pondering upon his legacy and what the Marvels have meant to him. Another good story, though it pales in comparison to the original (and Jay Anacleto is no Alex Ross). What disappointed me here is that the story references events in Marvel history over a ten to fifteen-year period, from the mid-'70s to the late '80s, but Phil's daughters, pre-teens in the mid-'60s, are still only in their late teens come the conclusion of the story. While the original moved in 'real time' from 1939 to 1973, the decision seems to have been made to make this one unfold in 'Marvel time'. despite the changing fashions of bystanders suggesting otherwise. Confusing!

  

  

Code of Honor (1997) # 1-4 and Conspiracy (1998) # 1/2 are collected in:

Softcover:

Marvels Companion (US)

Marvels Companion (UK)

Marvels: Eye of the Camera (2009) # 1-6 are collected in:

Hardcover:

Marvels: Eye of the Camera (US)

Marvels: Eye of the Camera (UK)

Softcover:

Marvels: Eye of the Camera (US)

Marvels: Eye of the Camera (UK)

'Tales of the Marvels' (1995-'96)

(I originally read these comics in mid/late April 2016)

The success of Kurt Busiek's and Alex Ross' 'Marvels' inspired a slew of follow-up series and one-shots that took a similar approach of examining the impact of super-heroes on the lives of average people. 'Wonder Years' is a story of a shy, teenage Wonder Man fan and how in the wake of his seeming death (in Force Works # 1) she finds the will to move on. It's a touching story by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning about growing up and the pains of leaving adolescence behind, with great (if vividly-coloured) painted art by Igor Kordey.

 

'Blockbuster' is about the surviving residents of a building seeking compensation after it's destroyed during a battle between the Silver Surfer and Tyros (in the pages of Fantastic Four # 260) and how one grieving man is driven to seek revenge. 'Inner Demons' is the tale of a Skid Row bum who finds the will to conquer alcoholism with the help of his down-and-out, amnesiac friend in a story taking place between the panels of Fantastic Four # 4 (and if you've read it you'll know who that 'friend' is). The talented Bob Wakelin paints some nice pages but obviously had to rope in help and pages by other hands are amateurish in the extreme, almost certainly the worst painted art I've seen in a Marvel comic. 

 

Incidentally, 'Inner Demons' artist Bob Wakelin works in Liverpool (or used to) and back in 1994 or '95 my college tutor, an acquaintance of his, arranged for me to meet him at his studio. He was working on the issue at the time, so I got to see pages before it was published. By chance, I saw (and snapped up) the comic months later in a comic shop in Warrington and recognised those same pages =)

Tales of the Marvels: Wonder Years (1995) # 1/2, Tales of the Marvels: Blockbuster (1995) and Tales of the Marvels: Inner Demons (1996) are collected in:

Softcover:

Marvels Companion (US)

Marvels Companion (UK)

Tales of the Marvels: Blockbuster (1995) is collected in:

Softcover:

The Best of Marvel '95 (US)

The Best of Marvel '95 (UK)