There's something going on in the Marvel Universe and it looks like the fate of everything falls in the hands of an Army Ranger named Marcus Johnson.
The Good
We don't often get to see events through the eyes of the 'normal' people in the Marvel Universe. It has been done a couple times with MARVELS and CODE OF HONOR. With the introduction of Marcus Johnson, we have a different approach. There is more to Johnson than we and even he knows. That's the hook of this mini-series.
The events roll out of FEAR ITSELF and Johnson, a staff sergeant in the Army Rangers, soon will find his life may not have been everything he thought it was. The story builds up in the introduction of Johnson culminating with an encounter unlike any he's faced before. Seeing the way he deals with the situation before and during other Marvel Universe characters come in gives a sense that you can almost relate to him. The mystery of what his connection to the overall story is what will hook you in.
The story is by Chris Yost, Cullen Bunn and Matt Fraction with Yost handling the actual script. With three writers involved, you know there has to be something big coming. That adds to the tease as you try to figure out what exactly they might have brewing. Scot Eaton's art fits nicely with the stories and captures the feel of the other Marvel characters involved. It's a merging to two worlds and Eaton makes it work.
The Bad
Mysteries can be good but sometimes they fall short. We've heard the promise and tease that some new unknown secret has the potential to tear everything apart. That may be the case but it's almost hard to believe that a character we've never heard of before has the potential to change or destroy everything. It's almost cliché and you have to be willing to accept that the writers all have it mapped out nicely and won't let us down.
The Verdict
Shattered Heroes is here and we're introduced to a new character, Marcus Johnson, that might be the cause of destroying everything. Seemingly a normal character, the issue is full of mystery as we and Johnson have no idea what is going on. It's a sense of that looming unknown history that we have seen a few times before. With Yost, Bunn and Fraction involved with the story, you almost have to have faith that there is something big coming on the horizon. Scot Eaton's art captures the feel of the Marvel Universe as well as the other characters that pop in. This series can go either way. There is a lot of promise that this will be big. It's hard to see it from here but you won't want to take the chance of missing out of something big. It's unfortunate to try to rate the series based off this first issue but that's what new readers often do. If they aren't completely pulled in from the beginning, they won't come back for more. It's entirely possible that after reading the next issue(s), my view on this will change but as a first/set up issue, there has to be more than a cool villain to make you want to come back for more. I have faith in the writers so we'll have to see what happens next.
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