Stephanie Kay
Oct 13, 2007, 10:34 pm
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=10090" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/eternv3-04t.jpg" hspace=10 align=left alt="Eternals #4"></a>Reviewer: Kevin Jones, kcjones242@yahoo.com
Story Title: Chapter Four: From Genesis To Revelations
We find out what the heck's been going on, and yes, it's worth it.
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Penciler: John Romita Jr
Inks: Danny Miki & Tom Palmer with Tim Townsend
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Todd Klein
Cover: Rick Berry
Variant Cover: Romita Jr, Miki, Hollingsworth
Production: Rich Ginter
Assistant Editor: Sean Ryan
Consulting Editor: Mike Marts
Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Published by: Marvel Comics (http://www.marvel.com)
After three issues of what some would call set-up, we've finally arrived at the meat of the story. The villain stands revealed, and we now know why godlike beings are working night shifts at McDonald's. The whole issue is really one big reveal, and the direction, characters, and events are taking becomes clear. So what can one say about Eternals #4 without giving the whole thing away? Surprisingly, quite a bit.
All of the main characters are taken farther than how we've seen them up to this point. Individually, they all have to deal with these new identities in their own way. Ikaris seeks the truth after being revived in a mysterious installation, and Sersi and Curry have to deal with evidence they can no longer deny. As for Druig, well, let's just say his behavior isn't surprising at all, considering what a bastard he's been so far. But these people are still acting as individuals instead of working together. How they come together should definitely be a big part of issues #5 and 6.
The major theme of Eternals so far has been to juxtapose the ordinary and the extraordinary. We've seen small examples of this from the beginning. Our heroes have amazing powers and a mysterious background, but they're convinced that they're ordinary people with everyday problems. When one of them goes outside this identity and shows us a glimmer of what they're capable of, it seems that much more impressive because we've been thinking on a small scale. After three issues of hinting at a bigger story, we've now taken a left turn and WHAM...we're in the thick of a story about gods who could very well view us as ants. If you're wondering why it took so long, think about what impact this would have had if it was only issue two. The problem with writing stories about godlike beings is that it's hard to identify with them. But now that we've had time to do that, elevating the plot to cosmic levels carries a lot more weight.
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=10091" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/eternv3-04vt.jpg" hspace=10 align=right alt="Eternals #4 (variant)"></a>You can also see this effect in John Romita JR's art. His drawings of giant Celestials harnessing their powers are that much more effective because his depictions of everyday scenes are so straightforward. Just like the boy who cried wolf, if you use dramatic poses and angles in every single panel, nobody will believe you when something big really does happen. What's funny is that this idea goes directly against what Stan Lee describes as "The Marvel Way" of drawing comics. On the other hand, there are plenty of things which hurt JR JR's art. Sometimes he takes the plain qualities of his art too far. People's faces appear a little too uniform, and some panels look like they were drawn way too fast. The close-up of Thena as she's sleeping could have been drawn in 30 seconds, as far as I can tell. All I'm saying is that it couldn't hurt to infuse some rendering and depth into his pages.
When you have a penciler with a minimal, flat style, the job of the inker becomes much more important. Klaus Janson's inks over JR JR in The Man Without Fear gave his art the tone it needed. Danny Miki and Tom Palmer are both interesting choices for this series, considering their backgrounds. Miki started off inking Rob Liefeld in Youngblood, and went on to work on Spawn for quite a while. His inks are precise, and tend to bring out the style of the penciler while adding as much depth and varying line width as possible. Palmer, on the other hand, had a long stint as inker on The Avengers in the late 80's. His inks there were heavy, and no matter who was penciling, you knew Tom Palmer was inking. Both Palmer and Miki seem to be here to give JR JR a boost, and sometimes it works. Miki's pages look more controlled, but Palmer is sticking to the pencils more than he's done in the past. There are times when the pencils and inks seem to be at odds, and it makes me wonder if there would have been a better choice for inker. You can see points here and there where the style of line just doesn't fit, like on pages 7 and 15.
It's still possible to analyze the turn of events without revealing details. Does this issue's big reveal work? Absolutely. The identity of the villain makes sense, although nobody could have predicted it. His/her motivation is believable, and even makes these actions slightly understandable. But what sticks out is the fact that while the explanation shows why the Eternals are now ordinary people, I have no idea how waking the Dreaming Celestial fits into that plan.
Eternals is turning out to be an enjoyable fantasy series. Gaiman is making these characters more interesting than they've been in a long time. He's also introducing a new generation to their whole mythology, which he's made surprisingly accessible. Maybe it will read better in collected form, if you can wait that long. There's still plenty to take care of in two more issues, but Gaiman has given us every reason to think that he'll pull it off. Let's just hope the sales convince Marvel to put out more books like this.
OVERALL:
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‘Buy this issue online now from X-WORLD and save!’ (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=20621)
Story Title: Chapter Four: From Genesis To Revelations
We find out what the heck's been going on, and yes, it's worth it.
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Penciler: John Romita Jr
Inks: Danny Miki & Tom Palmer with Tim Townsend
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Todd Klein
Cover: Rick Berry
Variant Cover: Romita Jr, Miki, Hollingsworth
Production: Rich Ginter
Assistant Editor: Sean Ryan
Consulting Editor: Mike Marts
Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Published by: Marvel Comics (http://www.marvel.com)
After three issues of what some would call set-up, we've finally arrived at the meat of the story. The villain stands revealed, and we now know why godlike beings are working night shifts at McDonald's. The whole issue is really one big reveal, and the direction, characters, and events are taking becomes clear. So what can one say about Eternals #4 without giving the whole thing away? Surprisingly, quite a bit.
All of the main characters are taken farther than how we've seen them up to this point. Individually, they all have to deal with these new identities in their own way. Ikaris seeks the truth after being revived in a mysterious installation, and Sersi and Curry have to deal with evidence they can no longer deny. As for Druig, well, let's just say his behavior isn't surprising at all, considering what a bastard he's been so far. But these people are still acting as individuals instead of working together. How they come together should definitely be a big part of issues #5 and 6.
The major theme of Eternals so far has been to juxtapose the ordinary and the extraordinary. We've seen small examples of this from the beginning. Our heroes have amazing powers and a mysterious background, but they're convinced that they're ordinary people with everyday problems. When one of them goes outside this identity and shows us a glimmer of what they're capable of, it seems that much more impressive because we've been thinking on a small scale. After three issues of hinting at a bigger story, we've now taken a left turn and WHAM...we're in the thick of a story about gods who could very well view us as ants. If you're wondering why it took so long, think about what impact this would have had if it was only issue two. The problem with writing stories about godlike beings is that it's hard to identify with them. But now that we've had time to do that, elevating the plot to cosmic levels carries a lot more weight.
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=10091" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/eternv3-04vt.jpg" hspace=10 align=right alt="Eternals #4 (variant)"></a>You can also see this effect in John Romita JR's art. His drawings of giant Celestials harnessing their powers are that much more effective because his depictions of everyday scenes are so straightforward. Just like the boy who cried wolf, if you use dramatic poses and angles in every single panel, nobody will believe you when something big really does happen. What's funny is that this idea goes directly against what Stan Lee describes as "The Marvel Way" of drawing comics. On the other hand, there are plenty of things which hurt JR JR's art. Sometimes he takes the plain qualities of his art too far. People's faces appear a little too uniform, and some panels look like they were drawn way too fast. The close-up of Thena as she's sleeping could have been drawn in 30 seconds, as far as I can tell. All I'm saying is that it couldn't hurt to infuse some rendering and depth into his pages.
When you have a penciler with a minimal, flat style, the job of the inker becomes much more important. Klaus Janson's inks over JR JR in The Man Without Fear gave his art the tone it needed. Danny Miki and Tom Palmer are both interesting choices for this series, considering their backgrounds. Miki started off inking Rob Liefeld in Youngblood, and went on to work on Spawn for quite a while. His inks are precise, and tend to bring out the style of the penciler while adding as much depth and varying line width as possible. Palmer, on the other hand, had a long stint as inker on The Avengers in the late 80's. His inks there were heavy, and no matter who was penciling, you knew Tom Palmer was inking. Both Palmer and Miki seem to be here to give JR JR a boost, and sometimes it works. Miki's pages look more controlled, but Palmer is sticking to the pencils more than he's done in the past. There are times when the pencils and inks seem to be at odds, and it makes me wonder if there would have been a better choice for inker. You can see points here and there where the style of line just doesn't fit, like on pages 7 and 15.
It's still possible to analyze the turn of events without revealing details. Does this issue's big reveal work? Absolutely. The identity of the villain makes sense, although nobody could have predicted it. His/her motivation is believable, and even makes these actions slightly understandable. But what sticks out is the fact that while the explanation shows why the Eternals are now ordinary people, I have no idea how waking the Dreaming Celestial fits into that plan.
Eternals is turning out to be an enjoyable fantasy series. Gaiman is making these characters more interesting than they've been in a long time. He's also introducing a new generation to their whole mythology, which he's made surprisingly accessible. Maybe it will read better in collected form, if you can wait that long. There's still plenty to take care of in two more issues, but Gaiman has given us every reason to think that he'll pull it off. Let's just hope the sales convince Marvel to put out more books like this.
OVERALL:
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‘Buy this issue online now from X-WORLD and save!’ (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=20621)