1985 #5 (of 6) – Review

By Mark Millar (Story) and Tommy Lee Edwards (Art)

I don’t know if there’s anyone out there who reads Marvel comics who isn’t buying this book (except maybe someone who thinks $3.99 for a 24-page comic is a TOTAL RIP-OFF). Maybe, like me, they thought last issue was a bit weak, but with this issue, 1985 proves itself again to be a must-read.

Our boy Toby, in an effort to fight the super-villains that are tearing through his hometown, has made his way from the “regular” universe to the Marvel Universe to recruit heroes to help him. Regular life continues beneath the flight path of the super-heroes, and the intermittent contact between two worlds is awkward, with subtle resistance to those who try to break the spandex ceiling. The tone is pitch-perfect, with little in-jokes every few pages: Jarvis making reference to Tony Stark’s recent “exhaustion”, or the Skrull in the Fantastic Four’s waiting room.

After several mishaps, Toby finally finds a hero that will listen to him. And just in time, too, as things in the real world are rapidly going from bad to worse, with the townsfolk evacuating, while creatures like the Wendigo slaughter whoever remains and Toby’s father is fighting his way back into town to help his ex-wife escape. The idea is that all his comic-geek knowledge might help turn the tide against the invaders, though it’s hard to imagine how, given that he has no super-powers that we know of.

One single complaint: Millar portrays all the villains that have materialized in Toby’s town as killers. Sure, Modok might go on a killing spree if he got the chance. The Scorpion or the Wrecker, maybe, if they got caught up in the excitement of a good rampage. But Batroc? The Taskmaster? Those guys wouldn’t kill time unless someone was paying them.

Edwards’ art continues to amaze. Not many artists could capture the visual complexity of an old rural East Coast town (the marble Victorian buildings downtown, the decrepit row homes outside, the telephone and power lines everywhere) as backdrop for a parade of classic super-villains. I won’t spoil the book by telling you who shows up on the last few pages, but he’s appropriately mind-blowing. (Grade: A)

– Andrew C. Murphy