Space Operas tend to be small concept relayed as big and as loud as possible. It‘s not surprising that Abnett and Lanning are very proficient at the craft as the UK seems to be a breeding ground for master composers of the form, from Iain M. Banks, Ken MacLeod, Alistair Reynolds, to Peter F. Hamilton among several others. Space Operas also tend to be the sub-genre of science fiction that have the most similarities with traditional Fantasy (throw Planetary Romance in there as well) which ultimately are entwined with our history (mythological or otherwise), and thus are able to offer large scale campaigns while connecting to us on a very fundamental, familiar, and human basis. The idea – as said above – is keep it simple but make it big. In the process, the great ones grow into something that forsake that former quality under scrutiny, but yet maintain and never let go of the big idea for those who don’t care that the Hyperion cantos mirrors the Canterbury Tales.
War of Kings is really the funneling of several storylines from several titles, which may make it problematic for those not already reading those titles. Out of those titles, I only regularly follow Guardians of the Galaxy, and while I’m certainly familiar enough with Marvel history, and specifically Marvel Cosmic to not be disorientated, it’s a possible concern for some. That said, I find nothing wrong in writing events for an existing fan base – call it self interest, and the reward of those invested. It should be noted, however, how easy Abnett and Lanning made it look in this issue to create this convergence. While past details would certainly offer some ease, the issue is very much palatable for anyone but the most self-inflicted obsessive. The duo kick us off with a classic tactic in starting or escalating a war. Kidnapping has been known for causing the launching of a thousand ships, and when you couple that with interrupting – via attacking – a wedding involving your potential rivals in the process, then you have what amounts to a declaration of war.
I‘ll begin at end by telling you that what’s exciting me is that we may finally see the Inhumans step out and start earning the respect we tend to give them. We are always in awe of what Blackbolt ‘could’ do and perhaps after getting handled again, we may be in the midst of an event that it’s finally put up and not shut up. It is my hope that this series will allow me to see the end of Vulcan. Not because I find him to be a heinous or deplorable figure, but because he’s always been a throw away character on many levels for me. I do want to add that as a kid who grew up when X-Men was the ‘best’ book out there, I love Gladiator. Gladiator is – for now – loyal, but he views Vulcan like I do, “A mutant, human usurper”. Throw a “&” in there and you have my thoughts exactly. He muddles my Marvel Cosmic corner and the X-franchise with what I can only describe as standard ‘lameness’, and it is my hope that the slightly over-handed Gladiator soliloquy in this issue foreshadows his ultimate end. It would erase a rare Brubaker misstep.*
What’s very interesting here is what is perhaps the death of Ronan the Accuser. If that is the case, this issue becomes a bit of a monumental and proper beginning to an event. If you know nothing of the character, Abnett and Lanning give you all that you need. There is a poignant scene prior to the battle where intended flowers never reach their recipient, and the moment is amplified when the battle begins and you witness the true worth of the Accuser. Though the immediate reaction makes one believe a death is possible, it is completely unclear if that is truly the case (I tend not to read advanced solicits – I don‘t use Previews either). If it is so, the first shot in War of Kings is one that not only is exciting, but it actually matters. It’s no less a loss than the Bill Foster death in Civil War, and to the Cosmic fan, absolutely more resounding. For myself, any of these cosmic characters introduced to us via Kirby in that initial, monumental Fantastic Four run are fixtures. Annihilation gracefully modernized many of these characters, so now it’s not even just losing historically significant characters – they are also damn cool and entirely relevant.
I’ve always been a fan of Pelletier, and I love that he’s working on War of Kings. Big, big action, and yet perfectly captures tender moments with scenes sharing Lorna, Luna, and Crystal. There is no drawback with the art as Pelletier shows there isn’t much he isn’t going to be able to handle. It’s very lively, and has that larger-than-life element that disallows dismissal of the title – and thus the event – as secondary happenstance.
Not an abundance of positive words come with the term ‘event’ these days. One of the reasons that I feel makes Marvel Cosmic so great is that everything is an event, it has to be, and that necessity is something I actually value. There is a bit of an immunity from the event stigma in the cosmic corner because you have to bring it every issue. You aren’t really playing with the public’s favorite toys, so this both enables by granting creators with extra freedom, but also adds the pressure of having to write great stories, as you have no safety net of casual fans (or at least a large enough one). You don’t hear about or get recommended these stories unless the diehards witness something special. Our books use words absolute like Infinity and Annihilation; they speak of the deaths of Marvel, and introduce to us icons when we need them most, ‘if this be Doomsday.” War of Kings has a ring to it. When I consider it, I recall a quote from a George R.R. Martin novel (from his A Song of Ice and Fire series)
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground”
What’s been problematic, or at least repetitious is that while Marvel Cosmic (as evident from this very issue) is full of a great number of diverse and interesting characters, very few have an established built in-resonance with readers. This is why you continually see so many Thanos or Warlock “deaths”. It will be interesting to see if Abnett and Lanning are able to turn members of the chorus into vehicles for central tragedy and/or redemption. Or do they stick with the continuation of the stages of the monomyth concept that tends to dominate Marvel Cosmic– has Warlock returned to continue his decades of journey, from him to be the master of two worlds and grant freedom to live? I have to admit that it’s been effective, as even as I read an action packed issue with characters I love (Havok, Polaris, Ronan the Accuser, Gladiator, etc) all of them are pretenders to me while Warlock is in the field.
Don’t forget that not matter the number of players, that my boy has a tendency of ending up as king of the hill!
The beauty of Space Opera is that in the end none of this matters. There’s a lot of ass kicking going on in War of Kings, and I think you see the transformation of a union of political necessity turn into a debt of blood. Even in the expanse of space, a place full of limitless wonder and possibilities, where even abstracts are intrigued enough to find form to take part in the fun, Abnett and Lanning did what they had to do.
They made it personal.
*Misstep may very well be the wrong term. I withdraw it, and am open to the possibility that it was the intended step and had the desired effect. It just sucked especially – and perhaps even only – when viewed from a vantage point that’s congruent with exactly where I am at all times.
- Jay Tomio
Jan-ken-pon is the time traveling, force-walking, multiverse crossing column of Jay Tomio, owner of 1/3 of everything you see currently on screen, and the editor of Heliotrope. Some call him the Bodhisattva.
