Marvel Boy

Rating:
Summary: Grant Morrison Classic
Review: I read the original 6-issue comic series (which the back issues are impossible to find). Initially I found the series amusing, by the end of the series I was totally hooked. Great art, great story and excellent plot build up. I can't wait for the next Marvel Boy mini-series (There will be a total of 3). If you liked Warren Ellis' Authority and Fight Club - you will love this series.

Rating:
Summary: Trashy Superhero Pop Of The Highest Calibre
Review: Marvel Boy is Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones twisted re-configuration of the Marvel Universe.

It's not as good as Morrison's best work (such as his stunning work on such titles as Doom Patrol and The Invisibles) but it is a a bizzare, over the top comic book full of daft action and slick, kinetic artwork and as such it's a very entertaining read.

The story really gets going with issue three and the introduction of Hexus, the living corporation. From this point on the story is a blur of great ideas and shiny visuals, and the climax to the whole thing is wonderfully absurd.

All in all it's like a flashy, punk rock superhero comic, and a damn fine one at that...

Rating:
Summary: Marvel Boy: Jack Kirby on acid?
Review: Some of his finest works to date. Honestly, it's not as thought provoking as "The Dark Knight Returns", but the plots are well thought-out, the art is beautiful and the characters are as comPLEX (read the book to get the joke) as they come. A must buy!

Rating:
Summary: Nuclear Bomb in Human Form
Review: The Kree soldier Noh-Varr decides to go to war with the entire Earth, using the
superior fighting prowess and technology of an alien race designed to be physically
unconquerable.
Morrison introduces an anti-hero powerful enough to target and
destroy everything the author finds repulsive and dangerous in this
culture, embodied by the sadistic Dr. Midas, a modern Goldfinger scarred
by exposure to cosmic rays, his body encased in the original bulky robot
armor of Tony Stark, Marvel Comic's Iron Man. Dr. Midas is seeking to
complete a cosmic ray transformation that will give him the limitless
power of the superhuman, in this fictional universe; Midas, a vicious
megalomaniac, is fulfilling every boy's dream: to become a superhero. But
a superhero twisted by adult desires and obsessions, thirsting only for more
iron-fisted control of his world.
MARVEL BOY is an excellent vision of Stan Lee/Jack Kirby's
Marvel Universe as it might truly be, in reality. A literate chronicle of
the adventures of a flawed, raging superhuman, with absolutely knock-out
art by JG Jones, MARVEL BOY is stunning work by the always-original,
always-consummate writer G. Morrison. Must-have.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe the most unlikeable "Hero" ever.
Review: There seem to be three Grant Morrisons: The writer who crafted such wonderful, thought-provoking tales as Animal Man, the one who cranks out excreable drek such as Skrull Kill Krew, and the one who weaves weird, impenetrable head-trip tales like The Invisibles. All three seem to have collaborated on Marvel Boy.

Marvel boy tells the tale of an alien teen who, stranded on Earth, lashes out at his tormentors. The story is just an excuse for this loathsome kid to wreck New York City and blow stuff up. The first half of the book stunk, the second half was mildly better, but I just couldn't get into this character.

The villain, clad in an old Iron Man costume, and his daughter were much more interesting, and J.G. Jones' art was phenomenal; I was blown away by the detailing, and the coloring enhanced it nicely.

Huge Morrison fan will buy the book regardless; all others might want to think twice. (I would like to see a sequel that involves 100+ pages of this little punk getting mercilessly beaten, though.....)

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Art, Offbeat Writing, but unlikeable characters
Review: This book really doesnt' get going at full steam until the middle of the story, when the Exterminatrix character enters the tale. Then there is some human romantic tension, in a weird, alternate universe kind of way.

The main problem is that there are so few interesting characters to enjoy, since Marvel Boy is so aloof and unsympathetic. There is a very cool, ... alternate reality version of the original Iron Man, who is a villain here, and then his confused daughter, the Exterminatrix, adds a human element and chemistry to the too aloof Marvel Boy.

If you like J. G. Jones, then this book will not disappoint you. The art is very nicely drawn, but it can't hide the coldness of the characters' hearts.

The writing is strange and unique, and very original in the way that it carelessly expresses main characters who find it impossible to care about anybody, though they crave love and material wealth, or destructive revenge, they are all very shallow and casual about interpersonal relationships. It's an interesting point of view in a comic book novel, but it is not extremely endearing.

A better J. G. Jones read would be the "Black Widow" graphic novel, written by Devin Grayson, which is the high point of J. G. Jones career, as far as beautiful artwork is concerned.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Art, Offbeat Writing, but unlikeable characters
Review: This book really doesnt' get going at full steam until the middle of the story, when the Exterminatrix character enters the tale. Then there is some human romantic tension, in a weird, alternate universe kind of way.

The main problem is that there are so few interesting characters to enjoy, since Marvel Boy is so aloof and unsympathetic. There is a very cool, ... alternate reality version of the original Iron Man, who is a villain here, and then his confused daughter, the Exterminatrix, adds a human element and chemistry to the too aloof Marvel Boy.

If you like J. G. Jones, then this book will not disappoint you. The art is very nicely drawn, but it can't hide the coldness of the characters' hearts.

The writing is strange and unique, and very original in the way that it carelessly expresses main characters who find it impossible to care about anybody, though they crave love and material wealth, or destructive revenge, they are all very shallow and casual about interpersonal relationships. It's an interesting point of view in a comic book novel, but it is not extremely endearing.

A better J. G. Jones read would be the "Black Widow" graphic novel, written by Devin Grayson, which is the high point of J. G. Jones career, as far as beautiful artwork is concerned.

Rating:
Summary: Marvel Boy: Jack Kirby on acid?
Review: What if you were an alien stranded on a primitive world, hated and feared by civilizations that,quite simply,suck? Would you fight for their safety, and admiration? Probably not, and neither does Noh-var. Put simply,the first chapter in the Marvel Boy trilogy (if it indeed is still that) seems to be Grant Morrison channeling the imaginations of Jack Kirby and Satan simultaniously, and writing the images he recieves down as words.
As fast-paced, and hallucinogenic as he felt like making it. Morrison crafts what couldn't be deemed a dense tale of charactor driven pathos, however it does out-do The Authority for people with personalities( after all, how many issues of people sitting around for three issues only to hit the world conquering threat of the month into submission- without development of characters can you handle?) the development of the characters takes a passanger-side seat to the plot, with neither truly dominating the other... although the plot does speak with a louder,shinier voice at times. Marvel Boy doesn't really break any new ground, until it's too late, and you realize just what is really going on. That's all i'll say about the story, not that what happens is a major suprise, it's just that I hate thinking i'll ruin someone's fun.
Art-wise, J.G. Jones is definetly hitting strides. The art is a perfect compliment to the story, picking up just enough of certain Kirby-isms without being anything other than an homage, even though Jones' art looks nothing like Kirby's. Weird I know, and when you look at the art you might think i'm crazy, but... Just study the overall flow of the story, and it might come to you. The art brings an unparalleled sense of design to the characters that just plain makes sense. Everything about Marvel Boy clicks in what can only be called "Planned coincedense." Everything looks like its two different styles of comics coming together at a random angle, but it feels like the only thing that makes sense. Noh-varr designed by Joe Maduer...y'know Battle chaser's guy wouldn't FEEL right. As a matter of fact, there are only a handful of artists I feel could have pulled off realism in a world created by a sociopathic God.
Believe me, Marvel Boy is more than "Pop comics", or an experiment of what would Stan Lee do if he were inspired by drugs, but it also isn't. When deconstructur-ism seems to be the leading trend in super-hero comics that mean something, Marvel Boy is just the opposite. Flashy costumes and superpowers for the sake of Flashy costumes and explosions, with out being dubbed "Wide-screen" Comics, which those simpering skin-cells at Wizard(shudder) seem to apply to anything these days.
Don't get me wrong, i'm not giving Marvel Boy hand love for the sake of hand love, a little more time could have been spent on developing Noh-varr and Oubliette, and just why their particular brand of neo-relationship works,(which i'm capable of ignoring: If people can form bonds over chat rooms...). My only major gripe with Marvel Boy comes with tha fact that it is indeed edited. The sting of non-anarchist chaotic rhetoric seems to loses it's edge when edited. Oh the irony of the Comics Code.
A comic about someone changing the government, filtered by the government... if you catch my admitedly vague statements. Hopefully, Marvel Boy2 (which Morrison claims to be already writing) will be released through the less restrictive guise of the Marvel Max imprint. One can only hope. So at least read a friend's copy of Marvel Boy, if for nothing else but to see a "Superhero" eating trash for strength.