Doom 2099 #1: Doom & Gloom

The big mystery of just who Doom 2099 is, gets solved in this issue, and in doing so, you get a really awesome story that spans a  surprisingly big chunk of the Marvel Universe. Author Chip Zdarsky does his awesome job, as usual in bringing in some unexpected elements without causing continuity chaos in some other current comics. Zdarsky makes sure that this is definitely not the “old” future, and that the 2099 we’re currently exploring and enjoying is a brand new place where anything can happen. There’s plenty of nods to the previous 2099 Marvel U, more than enough to satisfy people like me who loved that universe when I was a kid reading it for the first time. The Doom 2099 is very similar to the Dr. Doom that we currently know, and that’s kind of a breath of fresh air. Even in a fish out of water story, Dr. Doom is still the character that we all love to hate. He delivers Doom with all the pomp and circumstance of his modern-day equivalent, and what’s exceptional about this book is that this is a book that only Dr. Doom could star in. Zdarsky gives us a really broad view into this world, it’s class system, it’s tech and lack thereof. We find out just how the heroes of today affect the future, and I’m betting that it’ll really surprise you. The story is really solid, it’s serious but still fun and by the end, it’ll have your heart pumping quite a bit harder than when you started. A super enjoyable ride!!

For this issue, we’ve got artist Marco Casiello, who’s quickly become one of my favorites. He’s got a real talent for rendering characters that are simple in design, yet detailed when they need to be. He almost gives us ideas rather than figures, which is a really refreshing change of pace from other books that are out there. This issue has quite a wide spectrum of subjects. We get everything from lots of close-up shots to wide, sweeping landscape shots. There are pages with little dialogue, but Caiello’s art makes the page tell a great story anyway. And I have to give a special shout-out to colorist Christ Sotomayor, for his work on this issue. Without him, the book would be a LOT less enjoyable.