Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: comic book reviews, eve ewing, kamala khan, miles morales, ms marvel, nova, spider-man

REVIEW: Outlawed #1 — "The Repetitive Nature Of This Spandex-Clad Ragnarok Cycle"

Published Thu, 19 Mar 2020 17:00:18 -0500

by Hannibal Tabu

Last updated Thu, 19 Mar 2020 17:02:35 -0500

Comments

(Marvel Comics, creative team: Eve L. Ewing, Kim Jacinto, Espen Grundetjern, Clayton Cowles)

On a good side, the ability of Eve Ewing to make a compelling script remains untouched. She takes the ideas here and executes them with outstanding storytelling chops. The artwork from Jacknto, Grrundetjern and Cowles likewise takes make dynamic choices in presenting this tragedy. Here's the thing … there is a long history of legislative efforts to rein in metahumans (and that's without even looking at that season of Arrow), based on genetics, experience and now, age. It literally plays out the exact same way each time: fascist hunting of well-meaning vigilantes, heroes fighting against the establishment, maybe a tragic death (mostly of a character from an underrepresented community) and then everything goes back the way it was before. To call it "cliche" would be underselling the repetitive nature of this spandex-clad Ragnarok cycle. This even starts the "crisis" in a very similar way to the New Warriors debacle with Nitro, only giving less clarity about the antagonist (who, if the plot's right, could easily buy a few congresspeople). So, again, a stiff whitebread guy in a suit bangs a metaphorical gavel (with Vance Astrovik supporting him in a huge showing of hypocrisy) and declares many of your favorites "outlaws" (in a more de jure fashion than the current work of Scott Lobdell). Now, given that the three arguable leads here are all people of color and all legacies inheriting identities from previously established characters, only the licensing department can save them all. In any case, it'd be less sad to consider the idea of the same stupid thing being done by the government repeatedly if that wasn't what happens in real life, but here we are. Again, everybody here knows how to make comics. Taking a tragedy this close to the actual failings in our world while many of us are cloistered behind locked doors, others are forced into potentially virally lethal streets and others laugh in the face of it … it's not exactly entertainment, and maybe not what we need right now. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

OUTLAWED #1
EVE L. EWING (W) • KIM JACINTO (A) • Cover by PEPE LARRAZ
EXPLODING FROM THE PAGES OF INCOMING!
In the wake of a devastating tragedy, the United States passes a law that will shake the Marvel Universe to its core.
The world has had enough of teen heroes. The crackdown has begun. And the lives of Marvel's next generation will never be the same again.
EVE L. EWING and KIM JACINTO launch a new era in this game-changing event one-shot that will send shockwaves across the Marvel Universe! You won't want to miss this one!