Broken Frontier

The Traveler will blow you away.

Few people have ever handled time travel better handled than Mark Waid, Chad Hardin and, of course, Stan Lee, in this hard-hitting first issue of this brand new series, which is the second of the three Stan Lee-created books being released from BOOM Studios this year.

Mark Waid really brings his A-game to this issue, as the story flows incredibly smoothly from beginning to end.  Both the action and dialogue move at a fast pace while maintaining a conversational tone, which makes the book exciting, but keeps it from becoming too cheesy or overwhelming.  For this particular book, which has outrageous costumes and villains, this is incredibly important.  The Traveler has the light-hearted and witty aura about him, which makes it much easier to accept and relate to him, despite the fact that he has unbelievable powers and wears a bright blue mask and a hooded cape.

The best comics are the ones where the story keeps you wanting to turn the page, but the art keeps you lingering, and Chad Hardin definitely brings a caliber of art that rivals Mark Waid’s writing, and that’s saying something.  His treatment of both the Traveler and the Split-Second Men’s costumes makes it easy for the reader to accept them as credible heroes and threats, even though if you saw them on the street, you would almost certainly believe them to be part of an extravagant prank.  His characters, even the bystanders, seem so alive, which is largely due to the distinctiveness of their design and expressiveness of their gestures and facial expressions.

Waid also does an incredible job slipping in subtle clues about the nature of the Traveler’s powers and origin, including the singed patch he wears on his chest, and his interactions with the other characters.  It adds an intriguing pull to an already captivating story, and plays well with the time-travel nature of the story.  I would expect nothing less from the brilliant mind of Stan Lee.  His characters always have rich and complex histories, which sets them up as both awesome and relatable.

The Traveler brings with him the trademark uniqueness and vitality that Stan Lee’s creations have come to be known for.  Like Spider-Man, Thor and Iron Man, the Traveler shows all the signs of becoming a powerful and lasting influence on comics and pop culture for years to come.