2099 Alpha #1: Everything New is New Again

First off, I promise you there will be no corny “future” jokes or any Back to the Future references in this review. With that out of the way, let me tell you how incredible this book is!! Writer Nick Spencer brings us an all-new vision of the Marvel 2099 Universe. One that’s a 2019 version of the future, this is not the 1992 version of 2099 by a long shot, and I think that’s part of the reason that the book worked so well. 1992 was almost 30 years ago. People were listening to “Achy Breaky Heart” and watching Disney’s Aladdin. Now we’re listening to “Circles” and watching……Disney’s Aladdin. Anyway, he could’ve taken an easier road and taken the previous version and update it or put his own unique spin on that world. But instead, we get a brand new take on the classic Marvel 2099 characters. Think Ultimate Marvel, only cooler.

Spencer does a fantastic job juggling in this issue. When introducing a whole new universe (New Universe…..whatever happened to that? I’d camp out overnight for a new Nth Man the Ultimate Ninja series!! How about it, Larry Hama? @ronwagnerartist ?)  and introducing specific characters, building their personalities and showing us some of their past, a book can get quite jumbled and a lot of things can get overlooked. But not here. Nick Spencer does a great job giving us what we need to know and then sets things up for the creative teams of the other one-shots in this series to dive head-first into the meaty parts of these characters. He also manages to throw in a great big bad for the series and hints at some motives, but leaves a lot of mystery around him. This is a really great start for the series. Let me correct myself, this is the FALL EVENT that you can’t miss!!!!

Hey! Let’s talk about some of that drawing stuff for a second. This issue is drawn and inked by artist Viktor Bogdanovic. According to everything I’ve read, this is his first work at Marvel, and I’m praying to God it’s not his last. This guy is a superb artist. Trust me when I say he’s gonna be the next big thing. Bogdanovic not only thinks outside the box, he thinks outside the PAGE. This man’s vision of the future is unlike anything I’ve seen. He has a natural talent for expression on characters, and he can give them a certain line on their face that turns their demeanor into a completely different emotion that what the character is saying. He adds a lot of depth to his characters, he really shows what’s going on behind the eyes. Simply amazing. There’s some big money shot moments in this issue, and he makes them special. When he draws a certain scene big, it has an effect on you. He gives the issue the final rocket boost to blast this book into the stratosphere.