MIDNIGHT SUNS #1
Recap
Prelude: A young girl named Mary Beth Zoric is brought to account for dark magiks. Just as an all too familiar witch hunt gets underway an ominous shape arrives in Centerville, seemingly summoned by the girl.
Elsewhere: It’s just another day at the Strange Academy, with guest guest lecturer Blade. Until the whole school comes under attack from a vision of an impending apocalypse and dire warnings of the consequences “if the Midnight Suns are extinguished”. With Zoe Laveau somehow at the center, everyone is suddenly focused on her as another threat arrives in the form of fog-like demons. Eerily familiar to all from the vision, they are known to some as the Vapors of Valtorr. When Agatha Harkness spirits Zoe away the attackers also disappear, leaving the bodies of the Centerville residents, last seen attempting to mete out retribution upon Mary Beth. But that’s not the end of the bad news. Firstly the assembled adults discover they have four days to stave off an end of world event and secondly another unwelcome guest appears with some undiplomatic demands. You know things are bad if Doom agrees with you.
Review
And so one issue in we already have plenty to think about. Not only a mystery to solve AND an impending apocalypse, but also Doom is throwing a spanner in the works. That’s a lot of plates to spin, but Ethan Sacks did a good job of keeping the pace going. Given the faltering history of this title it was never going to be an easy sell, as the original 1990’s version never fared well and in the past Marvel haven’t seemed as keen to explore it’s magical line as DC have. However this issue jumped right in and offered a suitably dark edged tale, with some intriguing setups. How it all ties in to Zoe and her importance in events is unclear, but the hastily assembled team don’t have long to figure it out. It all seems to have begun the day before in Centerville and whatever Mary Beth did. And as those ethereal demons only appeared when Zoe’s necklace was snapped, it seems likely she holds the key to something Mary Beth wants. And as ominous visions go this one was immediately dark and foreboding.
Final Thoughts
The somewhat jaded side of me worries this is just a tag on to the computer game, but given the team line-up is not that similar I have hopes that it has less in common with that. As such I am prepared to go along for the ride. Lets hope this time Marvel give it more of an effort and really pull out the stops to give us some dark magic and horror in time for Halloween and the return of the Academy for their Finals.
Midnight Suns #1 Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Writing - 7/107/10
- Storyline - 7/107/10
- Art - 7/107/10
- Color - 7/107/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10