I know I used an Owen Likes Comics video last week but I need filler again due to seeing a foot doctor today and this one is surprisingly appropriate. Just this afternoon I looked at Inhumans #1, probably the only Marvel Knights imprint comic in my collection, digital or physical. That’s not a critical problem, just one of personal taste. Marvel Knights is a darker take on the Marvel universe, one of the way they tried to renew interest in certain characters. It was a better attempt than Heroes Reborn at least.
I wasn’t even going to post this one given how little interest I have in the period but events have forced my hand and some of you who read the review earlier might be wondering what Marvel Knights is. Owen can tell you better than I can (and hopefully this is the last filler I have to do for awhile) so I’ll just yield the floor to him.
I’m not surprised that Quesada was part of this darker take on Marvel. While not as blunt as DiDio (except where the Spider-Marriage is involved), Quesada is cut from the same dark & gritty cloth. If that’s your taste that’s fine. It’s just not for me. Also not surprised he came from a company called Event Comics given the Eventitis over at Marvel.
Kevin Smith’s inability to complete a comic project, on-time if at all, has become legendary. The problem is Smith likes writing comics but he loves making movies. So when he has a chance to take on a movie project that comes first and the comic suffers for it. I’m not saying they shouldn’t keep seeking Smith because he does bring in readers due to his name and his supposed geek status. However, they really need to make sure Smith is between projects long enough to complete the task. Maybe instead of miniseries, never mind intended long-running ones, he should just do the occasional graphic novel or one-shot to scratch his comic itch unless he actually has the time to commit to a longer project. I’m not a fan of his work personally but that has to keep disappointing anyone who is.
Marvel actually wanting to do a Frank Castle Punisher story. That’s rare these days given how they’re treating him just because people they don’t like who probably never read the comics liked the skull symbol and slapped the logo on their cars. I don’t know anybody in my circles who liked the supernatural bend Knights put on him. The story isn’t considered canon for a reason. I can’t say if the stories themselves was good. They just chose the wrong character for that kind of story. Making Black Panther a New York hero also seems odd. Because Marvel was in New York for so long, half the heroes of the Marvel universe work in New York City. It’s where the writers lived or at least worked (some actually lived in Connecticut or other nearby states and just commuted to New York). Having T’Challa protecting a high-tech African nation is one of the things that make him unique and losing that doesn’t work. Then again, Christopher Priest seems to have one type of story setting, as all the stories I know from him are in some dark urban area of the city.
So I’m not really a fan of the Marvel Knights imprint. The stories may be good and the art mostly does look good. It’s just not what I’m looking for in a superhero story.
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