Beyond #1 - #3 of 6
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Artist: Scott Kolins
Company: Marvel Comics
I’ve always had a soft spot for the 80s miniseries Secret Wars. Sure, it had some silly moments from writer Jim Shooter, but any sillier than Shooter’s other Marvel work? Not appreciably. And yeah, the premise might’ve been cribbed from that Star Trek where the aliens want to see if good is stronger than evil by making Kirk and Abe Lincoln fight Genghis Khan and a Klingon, but…well…the cool moments were worth it! Hulk hefting a mountain range! Ben Grimm playing pattycake with the Lizard! Wolverine casually lopping off the Absorbing Man’s arm! And I’ll even vouch for some good, old-fashioned Marvel humanism, as when temp Iron Man Jim Rhodes is having his armor repaired by Reed Richards:
Rhodes: “I’m curious…were you surprised there was a black man under the metal?”
Richards: “Hmm…no, I never gave it a thought! I knew there was a man under there…”
So I don’t give a hoot if Secret Wars did pave the way for today’s choking megacrossovers – that was a fun book.
Now, jump ahead over 20 years and Secret Wars has spawned the curiously entertaining and unpredictable miniseries Beyond. Once again the god-like “Beyonder” has gathered forces of good and evil to do battle at his whim, but talk about your bizarre line-ups! Where the original Secret Wars had the Avengers, X-Men and Spidey as part of its A-list line-up of good guys, Beyond plays host to newbie teen hero Gravity, shrinky heroes Wasp and Hank Pym, the Hood from the forgotten Marvel MAX miniseries of the same name, Kraven the Hunter’s gone-Hollywood son, and Medusa, the Inhuman with the superpowered…hair. Actually, Spidey’s involved in this one too, but even he’s got some strangeness going on. Other weirdness: the Hood’s practically a villain, and one of the few big names to make the scene – Venom – absolutely is.
Is the Beyonder just effed in the head this time out?
Well, that’s the mystery. At the halfway mark of the story’s 6-issue-length, we’re learning that the Beyonder may have pulled this “cosmic gladiators” routine dozens of times over the last few years. I have to admit, I’m curious to see how it all plays out. In the meantime, Beyond showcases many of the same qualities of the original Secret Wars on a smaller scale. Writer Dwayne McDuffie has a lot of fun putting the cast of misfits under pressure as they’re whisked off to the Beyonder’s Battleworld and forced to puzzle out their circumstances. Lots of good banter, lots of fun ideas (like Pym revealing he keeps miniaturized equipment in a pouch on his belt – including an Avengers Quinjet!). There’s the predictable but smartly executed struggle for leadership, with Wasp, Medusa, and later, the cyborg Deathlok, as the top candidates. And then there’re the insubordinates – Kraven, the Hood, and oddly enough, Medusa again.
It’s a weird book. With its ragtag group on the run through a vast jungle on Battleworld, there’s almost the vibe of a Vietnam movie – right down to the ethical in-fighting of a conflicted platoon. McDuffie seems to have his heart in the right place, though, especially when Deathlok takes the spotlight in issue 3. I’ve never come across Deathlok before, and this apparently isn’t even his original incarnation, but I really took to McDuffie’s portrayal of him as a hero of vast power (and scary visuals) with the morality to maintain a code against killing. Even during a battle with the old FF foe, Dragon Man (portrayed here as truly menacing for the first time in ages), he refuses to apply lethal force. Totally kick-ass fight sequence, and Deathlok’s definitely stealing the spotlight at the moment. Every member of the cast gets his or her moment to shine, though. Whether there’s a point to it all or McDuffie just wants to remind readers that even third-tier heroes can be cool, it’s a winning change of pace.
On the downside, if you don’t know any of the characters, you might find yourself lost in the shuffle. You might also find yourself wondering at McDuffie allowing for some moral posturing from the likes of Deathlok, only to have the heroes stand by indecisively during a grisly interrogation sequence. The moral confusion fits the Vietnam analogy, but it doesn’t fit the history of heroes like the Wasp. There are a few odd moments that crop up like that.
Visually, Beyond is a mixed bag. Scott Kolins supplies the art, and where his detailed, Euro-style has shone in the past on books like Flash and Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, this time out even the good stuff’s a bit muddled by the gloomy coloring and near-constant nighttime setting. There are periodic bouts with greatness, but not enough. I’m also not wild about his costume redesigns for some of the characters. Kraven and Hank Pym look downright bad. Gravity and Deathlok look the best, and unsurprisingly, their costumes are the most faithful to their original looks.
Not a perfect book by any means, but there’s still enough going for it that I’m pretty jonesed to watch it play out. Even before Marvel’s Civil War, we’ve seen heroes like Captain America and Iron Man arguing dozens of times over, but how often do you get to see Medusa and the son of Kraven at odds? It’s offbeat fun, the action’s good, and frankly, I want to see more of Deathlok. The internet tells me McDuffie penned a Deathlok series that ran in the 90s, and while I can’t tell you anything about its merits then, I can say I’d be game for a rematch.
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I was so glad to see this series. Dwayne McDuffie has never, *never* gotten the respect he deserved in this industry. He’s one of the best writers superhero comics ever had, as a glance at his run on Icon or his work on Power Man & Iron Fist or even more obscure stuff like Deathlok will show you. Fortunately for the animation industry, DC and Marvel never appreciated his talents properly, so he went off and did probably the best animated superhero story ever done, the Cadmus arc on Justice League Unlimited.
Glad to see him back for this mini, though, and even gladder with who he’s using. Deathlok was a great character in McDuffie’s hands (I’ve got the whole series, Dave… I’ll loan you some if you’ll just return my Quasars), the Dr. Pym uses shrinky gadgets is my favorite version of the character, and seeing Vaughan’s Hood character and McKeever’s Gravity show up is icing on the cake for me.
I’m a little more up on Kolins’ art than you, Dave, although I agree that the Kraven Jr. costume is a walking fashion disaster.
I also like the Vietnam style you’ve picked up on. I’m not sure if it’s what McDuffie intended or not, but I definitely see that vibe, now that you mentioned it, and it’s an interesting change from the superhero slugfest style of the original Secret Wars.
McDuffie also gets major props from me for the third issue where he reveals a past Secret War of the ’90s, featuring characters like Terror, Darkhawk, etc. Kirkman has a fondness for these characters too, but he doesn’t seem to use them as well… maybe they’re better suited to cameos than full-on stories.
18 Sep 2006 at 2:40 am
QuoteIt was all going so well then he had to fall back on to the laziest characterisation of Pym. It looked like someone was going to do something interesting with the guy, drawing on the old AWC version, but instead he falls back on Austen/Bendis type stuff. Should have known it was inevitable with the Wasp around but it was still disappointing.
Very nearly used up all the good will I had for this book due to him using the Hood.
18 Sep 2006 at 4:43 am
QuoteWhat’s the specific characterization you’re talking about, Siythe? McDuffie’s portrayal of Pym casts him as inventive, practical and supportive of his wife’s leadership role. The third issue touched obliquely on their marital troubles of the past, and while I agree with you that many have absolutely pissed on the character using that as a jumping-off point, McDuffie at least seems to be focusing on their marriage moving past it. Certainly would’ve preffered to see it not mentioned at all (Busiek already fixed things, not that that stopped subsequent writers from re-opening old wounds), but all things considered the reference seems pretty minor.
I get the anger, though. We’re talking a founding Avenger here, now saddled forever with this ugly baggage because Jim Shooter wrote a bad story where he slapped Jan a single time during a nervous breakdown. Not that slapping’s acceptable, of course, but subsequent depictions of the character (no help from Ultimate Ant-Man’s influence) have practically made him out to be a rampaging wife-beater. In fact, for all I know he might have been retconned as such.
Out of curiosity, what’s your objection to the Hood? I’m not wild about the MAX line existing within the ostensibly all-ages Marvel Universe, but I thought Brian Vaughan wrote a pretty good book with his miniseries. And certainly McDuffie’s writing him as a lowlife, so he’s being consistant with his characterization. Why he was partnered with the heroes is still a mystery, but since Venom was there too, I presume an explanation is forthcoming. I thought the fact that Deathlok schooled the Hood’s ass on morality put his approach in its proper perspective.
18 Sep 2006 at 5:01 am
QuoteSorry if I wasn’t clear, I meant that lapsing into ex wife beater Pym mode nearly used up the good will I had for the book from the start because he used the Hood. While it lasted Hood was a great series and its thanks to it that I got on near the ground floor of Y. If anything I’ve been disappointed by how one dimensional he’s been so far but there’s only so much room to play with each character so fair enough.
Your probably right and I’m over reacting to what was only a few panels of dialogue but the whole conversation with the Wasp just set off all my alarm bells for a Pym story. Not least because up until that it seemed like McDuffie wasn’t going to head down that road.
“What I did to you was unforgivable”. Now Pym may have done a few unforgivable things, he’s a mad scientist after all, but slapping his wife while he was in the middle of a nervous break down has always been one that’s been blown out of all proportion, as you said. Taking him back to the guilt ridden ex wife beater, big mistake, big, huge! Don’t get me wrong Pym should be guilt ridden that way he can drive himself on to fixing the Ultron problem and in the process do more things to feel guilty about. But getting hung up on something he was at best only partially responsible for has been the pattern for god knows how long and it only leads people to focus even more on the one incident and never allowing the character to move on.
Then there was “I’ve spent years becoming a man worthy of you”. No good can come of that. Either she’s going to dump him again, some more. Or worse they might eventually get back together again, some more. Now I if I thought for a minute she’d dump him in this and that would be the end of the whole co-dependent self harming mess of a relationship I would rejoice. But it’s not, because the next guy’s going to try and put them back together again. Even if he hadn’t had Pym still mooning after her (and by her I mean his dead wife who Janet is the spitting image off lest we forget) the next guy would have because that’s the pattern but at least this story wouldn’t be cluttered up with this mess. I gave up on long term hope for Pym after Busieks story was ignored now all I have is hope that whatever the current story is it wont backslide him yet again.
And yes I did see the shot of Firebird looking at them and caught the WCA reference that is always welcome. But I’m a Pym fan and I’ve been hurt to many times before.
18 Sep 2006 at 5:56 am
Quote>>Either she’s going to dump him again, some more. Or worse they might eventually get back together again, some more.
Here’s another: Pym might die trying to prove himself to Jan. In a story like this, with a godlike being who can even undo such things if the writer so chooses, guilt-ridden types are just the sort to hurl themselves between loved ones and oncoming lasers and such. Just a thought to cheer you up
What’s the deal with Firebird’s glance? The reference was lost on me.
‘Course, I didn’t even know Janet was a dead ringer for Pym’s deceased ex. Where’s that bit of info from? Always been part of their history, or was it a retcon? Seems very Vertigo (Hitchcock’s, not DC’s). Also seems like a fact best forgotten, lest lesser writers discover one more chink in Pym’s armor to exploit.
18 Sep 2006 at 6:33 am
Quote>>Here’s another: Pym might die trying to prove himself to Jan. In a story like this, with a godlike being who can even undo such things if the writer so chooses, guilt-ridden types are just the sort to hurl themselves between loved ones and oncoming lasers and such. Just a thought to cheer you up
You can go off people you know. Seriously it seems unlikely he’ll go for another death he’s got his hands full with Spidey. Yeah, I’m going to keep telling myself that.
>>‘Course, I didn’t even know Janet was a dead ringer for Pym’s deceased ex. Where’s that bit of info from?
Not a retcon it goes all the way back to her first appearance. Tales to Astonish 40 something I think.
>> What’s the deal with Firebird’s glance? The reference was lost on me.
Well that would depend on how much of a desperate fanboy I want to be. They’ve had a close relationship since she talked him out of suicide in AWC. So if I were inclined to be optimistic about this whole thing I’d suggest she was there either to be a friend and talk him out of stalking Jan or that was a jealous glance and their picking up a romantic subplot. Now if McDuffie’s going to romantically link Pym with someone that not a dead wife substitute or nymphomaniac cat person I may just have to marry him.
18 Sep 2006 at 11:34 am
Quote“nymphomaniac cat person”
Laughing my ass off.
Didn’t realize there was so many other “Westie” fans out there.
18 Sep 2006 at 3:06 pm
QuoteI like this series. I got into it because of Gravity beeing one of the characters, but after reading the first three issues, I enjoy the other characters in there to. It’s not my favorite Marvel book out there right now, but it’s a entertaining read, and I like the style of the series. And every book which gives me a bit of Gravity is a good book to me
18 Sep 2006 at 3:14 pm
QuoteI’m a fan of the 90’s (i.e. Darkhawk & Sleepwalker) and therefore must like anything that has Deathlock in it. Never-the-less, the book is a lot of fun but I do agree with Dave about the art, it is a mixed bag with some really, really bad costume designs.
18 Sep 2006 at 3:30 pm
QuoteI hope terror shows up somehow I like this series a lot and LOVE the irony that Deathlock made it so Terror, dracula and a guy named COLDBLOD could get back to earth
18 Sep 2006 at 3:51 pm
QuoteNick S., I *loved* West Coast Avengers. Haven’t gone back to read it lately, and I suspect it wouldn’t hold up for me, but I have fond memories of Hawkeye as leader, Dr. Pym’s crisis of conscience… hell, I even liked having Moon Knight on the team, taking on the new Zodiac.
The West Coast Avengers had a good team. Hawkeye in the lead, Mockingbird (another pointless Marvel death of the ’90s), Iron Man, Wonder Man… I could take or leave Tigra, but otherwise, it was a good line-up.
18 Sep 2006 at 4:07 pm
QuoteI’m surprised to be first here whom this struck as poorly assembled fankwank.
Granted, I read only one issue and the banter was decent, but even that referenced too much continuity and struck me as unable to stand on its own. There’s apparently no story beyond “superpeople thrown together, fight”, the characters seem to have been picked based upon availability and appear to be acting their usual selves. I noticed no drama, nothing that provided a hint why these aren’t a few issues of Marvel Team-Up whose only purpose is providing a fix for fqans of certain characters.
18 Sep 2006 at 5:12 pm
QuoteGlad to see this book picking up some buzz in the industry - it’s definitely my favorite Marvel mini right now, and I might like it even more than The Escapists.
I’m not even a big fan of most of these lesser characters, but the dialogue is so enjoyable, and Kolins’ are is always a delight. Like I said, I’m not a huge fan but I really like the use of recently-created characters like The Hood and Gravity. At least they’re not being completely ignored.
18 Sep 2006 at 5:48 pm
QuoteMarkus, I do believe that if you don’t have a pre-existing fondness for some of these admittedly C-list characters *or* a hatred for the current status quo at Marvel with an eye towards a more old school superhero genre approach, Beyond isn’t going to really click.
Fortunately, I have both.
But I do think it’s easy to explain the relatively low sales of the series. Most people don’t know these characters, many of those who do know them don’t care about them, and certainly there’s no indication that Beyond will have any huge impact on continuity, which, if Civil War and 52 sales are to be believed, are as important to readers these days as whether or not the stories being told are any good or not.
Still… no drama? That’s kind of like saying there’s no drama on Survivor or Lost, both of which share Beyond’s premise… a group of randomly assembled people forced to deal with each other in a new, hostile and mysterious environment. Man vs. nature combined with man vs. man, there’s plenty of room for conflict there, and thus, plenty of room for drama.
18 Sep 2006 at 10:51 pm
Quotehat’s kind of like saying there’s no drama on Survivor or Lost, both of which share Beyond’s premise The participants there are not superheroes who risk their lives a monthly basis because they have powers far beyond …
To me, drama in superhero books is about the charaters seeming to grow and change, something CW and 52 seem to offer (however flawed) whereas Beyond doesn’t. That said, I do have a fondness for old school stories and third listers. For instance, Claws using Wolverine and the Black Cat in a similar desert island setting works for me, whereas Beyond doesn’t. However, for me that doesn’t change the fact that both are crap. Executed somewhat competently, but - to repeat myself - without a real story to tell.
19 Sep 2006 at 2:23 am
QuoteRandy - you even dig the Living Lightening ese?
19 Sep 2006 at 12:11 pm
QuoteNow let’s not get crazy… that was about the time I think my interest in the book was waning.
*But*… I will give credit to… uh, whoever it was that was writing the book at that point for trying to give the Marvel Universe a new Latino hero. Even if the execution was, well… let’s just call it clumsy and well-intentioned.
19 Sep 2006 at 12:41 pm
Quote“Clumsy and well-intentioned”? The heart-of-gold, son of a villain, barrio boy done good, who also happens to be gay? Never…..
19 Sep 2006 at 2:30 pm
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