Force Works 2020 #1: Some Kind of Wonderful

You know how awesome it is when things come back? Like the McRib, your birthday, nice weather, Christmas, Shamrock shakes, or even Uncanny X-Men. But how awesome is it when something you really love comes back when you thought you’d heard the last of it ages ago (like Bill & Ted)? Hell yeah, Force Works is back!!!!  Not only is it back, but Marvel has had the good sense to put author Matthew Rosenberg on it. Is it a coincidence that Rosenberg writes one of my other favorite books being published right now, Hawkeye: Freefall? YES!! A total coincidence!!! But, thank God for coincidences. Rosenberg hits the ground sprinting with this book, we don’t get origins for each individual characters because we don’t need them. We only get a little “how we got here” from a couple of characters in some casual dialogue and aside from that, Rosenberg correctly assumes that the reader has at least a small clue as to who the characters are. With that out of the way, it’s wall to wall action, which is all very well choreographed and thought out. We get a villain that’s familiar to the Marvel universe, and a cliffhanger ending. I think that one of the reasons that comics written by Matthew Rosenberg are so enjoyable is that because he likes to write comic books.

And it seems like artist Juanan Ramirez likes to draw comic books. This guy’s art is EN FUEGO!!!!! It’s fast-paced, super kinetic, but never too busy or crowded for the eye to follow. He renders this issue’s villains particularly creepy but keeps the barf factor down to a minimum. I’d also wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t mention that colorist Frederico Blee’s colors really make this issue pop. He makes the metal of a ship as bold as the bright natural hues of the jungle.