Broken Frontier

A man dies in a bed in 1938, calling to a time of gods and monsters. A year later the government is testing a synthetic man and the Germans are bombing the Atlantic. These events are the beginning of the superhero age. Welcome to the secret origin of the Marvel Universe.

15 years ago, Marvel marked their 35th year of publications with a story. It was a special book entitled Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross. It took the dawning of the Marvel age and gave it a unified story. Suddenly the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk and the X-Men weren’t just in a shared universe. Now they had a unified story, told from the street level.

Now, in 2009, magically Marvel Comics is celebrating it’s 70th year of existence. It’s a little foggy in the math, but it all has to do with the publication of a book entitled Marvel Comics #1. This book featured the origin of the original Human Torch and Namor, the Sub-Mariner, as well as a Ka-Zar story, a jungle story and some others. That Timely publication is the beginning of the House of Ideas.

In many respects, The Marvels Project seems to be Marvels redux. Instead of focusing on what the street person saw though, here Brubaker begins weaving a tale where the Golden Age is brought on through government experiments. This is how Human Torch comes to be, meanwhile, the Germans are bombing the Atlantic. Seems they are after some fish-like people, and suddenly Namor makes the scene. Over in England, Lt. Sawyer is recruiting Nick Fury and Red Hargrove, not to rescue a British spy, but to help a defecting Nazi scientist with the last name of Erskine.

How this all ties into a Dr. Halloway and an old man with another identity the year before is not addressed here. However, what we do have is Marvel’s version of The New Frontier. Now, not only is there one story of when the heroes came to be, it seems we may find out why it happened when it did. The war books, history and the superheroes are being seemingly merged into one continuity.

Brubaker handles it all with ease. On display is his ability to handle a large ensemble cast. Fortunately, most readers won’t know the little details and realize the level of retcon happening in the book. Not that it really matters anyhow. Give comic fans a good story and they can forgive the fudging of facts here and there. One must remember, Bru is the guy who brought Bucky back and instead of the fans asking for his head on a platter, they now wonder what the zombie’s fate will be with the return of Mr. Rogers. If anyone is up to the task of expanding the tapestry that Busiek wove, it is Brubaker.

There is some government mechanism in the background of the story, but there is not the overwhelming sense of conspiracy that derailed Bendis’ Ultimate Origins almost from the word go. Brubaker is a more subtle wordsmith, he knows how to engage the reader with careful characterization and expert narration. The set up may be more laborious but in the end the payoff becomes more palatable no matter the sensational nature of the end gambit.

Epting is a perfect choice. With the incomparable Dave Stewart on colors, the book ably bridges the gap between the classic Golden Age books being explored here and Ross’s dynamic work on the earlier Marvels book. Epting lays out crystal clear action, hits the quiet notes when needed, and gives us an instantly recognizable FDR, all while playing with page construction that creates the epic feel the story needs.

Only the story as a whole will let the reader know if the hype surrounding this 70th anniversary centerpiece is justified. For a book that is almost completely setup, it is revelatory to a surprising degree and quite a compelling read. Given its smart look and in demand creative team, this is sure to be considered the true successor to the Marvels legacy.