Here we are: the final issue of “Original Sin”. It’s been a crazy and wild ride, one in which we were mostly right about how it’d turn out. Check out our sorta spoiler-containing review followed by a definitely spoiler-filled recap after the jump!
Review
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Mike Deodato
It’s all been building to this! Today, Marvel is proud to present your first look at ORIGINAL SIN #8 – the epic final issue from New York Times Bestselling creators Jason Aaron (Thor: God of Thunder, Wolverine & The X-Men) and Mike Deodato (Avengers, New Avengers)! The truth behind Dr. Midas’ gambit, Old Nick Fury’s betrayal, the evolution of the Orb and the secrets the Watcher held will be revealed as the remaining pieces of the puzzle fall into place in this can’t miss finale!
Drained of the Infinity Formula, Nick Fury is dying. Aging rapidly and uncontrollably. In his time as the “man on the wall,” he has survived protecting Earth in secret against monsters, demons and other unseen threats. Yet even he cannot escape old age. But the battle-hardened former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. will not go down without a fight! He’ll fight to his last breath to protect the Marvel Universe from what’s coming – even if it means going through the Avengers to do it!
Yet nothing could prepare them for what’s next. Amidst the chaos and rage of battle, more Watchers have descended upon the moon! Not to observe, but to render judgment on Uatu’s killer! This is it – all your questions will be answered! And the Marvel Universe will tremble at the truth!
Who will watch us now? Don’t miss the heart-stopping conclusion that will leave the Marvel Universe torn asunder! Open your eyes wide when ORIGINAL SIN #8 hits comic shops and digital devices in September!
It’s 2014 and we had a comic book event starring Oubilette, The Orb, Nick Fury, Dr. Midas, and a group that consisted of Bucky Barnes, The Punisher, Gamora, and Ant-Man amongst other fan-favorties who should never really share a room together. The story was a murder mystery, then it wasn’t, then it was, then it just gave up and allowed itself to be one of the wildest crossovers in a while.
“Original Sin” was many things: a murder mystery, the final Nick Fury story, a chance to see The Punsiher and Rocket Raccon hang out on the same page. It was also a little sloppy, awkwardly introduced a new force into the Marvel Universe, and unjustly killed off some fan-favorite characters (lookin’ at you “Original Sins” #5). But despite the often hazy revelations and implied spoilers (thank you, the utter concept of solicitations), “Original Sin” never held back any punches. It was a maelstrom of a mystery and one that I believe actually improved the Marvel Universe for the better, at least for a couple months.
“Original Sin” #8 doesn’t concern itself too much with the mystery that initially drove the series. Thanks to a culture of fans desperately trying to outthink a story and the fact I’ve had to write thousands of words about this series, it’s become pretty evident that [SPOILER REDACTED] killed Uatu — evident to the point where the previous sentence’s censorship is completely unnecessary. But that doesn’t stop the flashbacks depicting Uatu’s final moments from being so emotionally raw in ways I didn’t really expect from a character who lived on the moon for fifty years and still managed to be one of Marvel’s most boring characters.
Also, I’m really disappointed by the unlikely chances of us ever getting an ongoing series from Jason Aaron about– …well, I can just say Nick Fury now, right? Fury’s dynamic with The Watcher was one of the greater character moments in a blockbuster comic event. For a while, it seemed like Fury was going to turn into a complete villain but the insights we get into his character here show he’s just as layered as ever while The Watcher’s seeming one-dimension is exploited to show just what type of figure he is.
A large reason for how fleshed out Fury and Uatu get here is Deodato, who does an exceptional job of portraying the raw rage of Nick Fury while making The Watcher an almost horrific yet silent creature who still has enough pathos to keep him from turning into a full-fledged monster. This is even further accentuated by the almost lens-flare like effect implemented during the flashback scenes which makes them feel as hazy as they are in Nick Fury’s mind. Combine that with all the action scenes and, god, I just love Mike Deodato, you guys. His style’s the sort of realistic and gritty art you often see in events but it’s so visually distinct it keeps “Original Sin” from getting lost amongst the (increasing number of) other crossovers Marvel’s putting out. The art is the perfect mix of visceral and emotional that makes “Original Sin” the most personal crossover in a while.
Continued belowThere are still plenty of flaws in “Original Sin”. Anyone who was looking for a mystery to solve or expecting a grand twist will be disappointed, but there’s still enough good storytelling to alleviate those concerns. The concept of The Man on the Wall was awkwardly introduced into the series and it gets an even more awkward epilogue. Though, like the “Who Killed Uatu?” mystery, it’s one that would’ve likely worked a lot better if solicitations and previews didn’t exist.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – “Original Sin” is such a weird crossover. Thankfully, I really like weird. And if you do too, then you’ll likely enjoy the final issue.
Recap
Alright, before we dive into this issue we should really explain the events of the past seven. So, uh… Nick Fury probably killed The Watcher for his eyes, he’s old, the villains from “Marvel Boy” and The Orb showed up, and everyone knows everyone’s secrets. Also, some old-timey dude named Woodrow McCord recruited Nick Fury into being “The Man On The Wall” who shot up aliens coming to Earth before The Avengers knew about them. This makes a lot of sense within stories like “Secret Invasion” but for events like “Infinity”, I guess he took a week off.
Anyway, a couple days ago, Dr. Midas, his daughter Oubilette and The Orb robbed The Watcher’s house for his eyes and shot him. Nick Fury (living next-door in his space timeshare) comes by and offers to help The Watcher get revenge on Midas. Instead, The Watcher points out how he knows all about Fury’s activities as The Unseen because he’s a smug ass who I’m kind of glad got shot.
Back in the present, the role of smug ass has been filled by Dr. Midas who’s going to straight-up eat The Watcher for his power. Unfortunately, Nick Fury shoots his arm off and now Midas can’t eat anything since he’s unable to hold a knife and fork. What’s he going to eat with now, a spork? The man’s earned a doctorate, for God’s sake and there’s a circle of Watchers, er, watching! He’d make a fool of himself!
The Not-So-Mindless Ones under Midas’s control attack Fury who repels them with his vague old man space powers intercut with his rant to The Watcher. What turned into a simple offer of help has evolved into Nick Fury insulting The Watcher for his refusal to help, only to then brag about how he breaks his vows by doing nothing but come down, shout a warning, and leave. That’s not entirely true seeing as The Watcher had The Future Foundation and Julius Caesar crash at his place for a few days but no one read the latest “FF” book so I doubt Nick Fury did either.
Flashback forward to the present (flash forward back… flash… point? I give up) and Midas is using Fury’s distraction by the Mindless Ones to escape with his daughter, who has plans of her own.
I hope each of those plans also involve pun-based mutilation.
The Orb steps out and attacks Fury, revealing that he and the Midas family didn’t choose to rob The Watcher. Instead, they were chosen by Uatu to attack him for a reason. Over in the flashback, Uatu reveals to Fury that he’s tired. He’s seen too much (probably the revelations about his father from the #0 issue) and he wants someone else to fulfill his role as The Watcher. For someone who is literally omniscient, you think he’d try Craigslist before inviting a dominatrix, a Ben Grimm cosplayer and a man with an actual eyeball for a head to come into his home and beat him up. Never mind, it sounds like he actually did find them on Craigslist.
In the current space-time, the battle against Fury is turning the tide with Fury’s Chosen attacking The Mindless Ones and The Orb getting straight up choked out by Uatu’s eyeballs, betrayed by his own kind. Also, The Chosen straight up just yell at Fury until he finally confesses to his final sin.
“Nick Fury is Gossip Girl.”
Haha, jay-kay. No, Nick Fury shot The Watcher in the face before he could annihilate Fury with his purple hand beams which is, honestly, a pretty good reason to shoot someone. I mean, Fury was lured into The Watcher’s home, Uatu said he wanted someone else to become the new Watcher and then he raised some threatening hand beams. Also, he’s The Watcher; you’d figure he could handle a bullet or two.
Continued belowAlright, I will admit Fury immediately cutting out Uatu’s eyes was a bit much but it’s not like there’s cheap eye replacements anywhere near the moon.
Nick confesses this crime while giving the most blatant foreshadowing to Bucky that he’s going to be in space for the new “Winter Soldier” ongoing:
“We can save the world, Nick!”
“I sure hope you can… THIS OCTOBER AT YOUR LOCAL COMIC SHOP!”
After ensuring a boost of sales for Kot and Rudy’s “Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier”, Fury walks with his Uatu Eye over to Midas, who has transformed into a floating RPG boss while the other Eye burrows into The Orb’s chest and the Watchers floating around say “Lol sry.” Taking inspiration from this, Fury jams the other eye into Midas and they both explode. Bucky utters “Damn it, Nick” at the prospect of being in a new ongoing while Uatu’s wife shows up to cry and remind readers that Matt Fraction “Fantastic Four” run happened.
In the aftermath, Captain America confirms Fury’s dead while eyeing Doctor Strange and Black Panther suspiciously, though probably less for the whole Nick Fury situation and more for being members of the Illuminati who he just declared the world’s largest threat in last week’s “Avengers”. Honestly, even if you think “Original Sin” is a hot mess as a story, I have to say the tie-ins have done a really good job of building new paranoia and intrigue with characters in a way that (sort of) feels natural.
Back on Earth, Oubilette swears to build a new Midas empire which is actually something I’d like to see more of while The Orb shows up looking like something I never want to see again.
“You’re the one who posted the Craigslist ad, right?”
And back in space we see some foreshadowing to that new “Thor” series.
I hope the new “Thor” title swaps back and forth between the new Thor and Odinson still struggling to pick up his hammer.
Speaking of new series, we see Bucky in his Deodato Space Suit assassinate some aliens and a cloaked figure in the wreckage of the Moon. Nick Fury, bound in chains, is the new Watcher, forever cursed to observe the Earth from afar but never to interfere despite his innate sense of duty to be proactive and do what he can to defend his planet. You know, the big role he kept secret for decades. And this is all because Uatu didn’t want to be the Watcher anymore.
So if we can just go over this again: Uatu was so done with being The Watcher that he organized a break-in so a man he knew was dying would get concerned and come in. Then, he’d manipulate the man into shooting him while simultaneously harboring a grudge against those who’d initially hurt him so the man would die in the process of avenging his fallen “friend”. Then, after death, the man would be resurrected and bound in chains, forced to be perpetually looking up at a world he can now never defend, a world that will have nothing to do with him nor miss him now that it has his Samuel L. Jackson successor running around.
You guys, Uatu was absolutely the villain of “Original Sin”. Say what you will about Fury but at least he chose nine people, said “choose amongst yourselves”, and let them sort it out. Uatu guilt-tripped Fury into living his worst-possible scenario. Rest in NEVER, Uatu.
And with that, we’ve finished “Original Sin”. A lot of the outcomes were predicted pretty early on but it was still an interesting journey, to say the least.
What did you think of “Original Sin”? Feel free to let us know in the comments and enjoy the four weeks we have before Marvel goes into event season again with “AXIS”!
