The McElroys make their Marvel comics debut with “War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery.” What a title to start with, too! So, do they prove themselves worthy of the faith Marvel has placed in them, or does the adventure fall short?
Written by the McElroys
Illustrated by André Lima Araújo
Colored by Chris O’Halloran
Lettered by VC’s Clayton CowlesThe creators of the blockbuster podcast The Adventure Zone bring their talents to Marvel for a wild romp through THE WAR OF THE REALMS! Earth is at war, besieged by an army of Frost Giants, Trolls and Fire Goblins — and the mighty Thor is nowhere to be found! But could it be that the key to turning the tide is…Thor’s baby sister? Journey into Mystery with Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Wonder Man, and Balder the Brave as they go on an epic quest to save Earth’s only hope! (And, yes, deal with diaper duty.)
As I am wholly unfamiliar with “The Adventure Zone” aside from knowing what it is and having many friends who are into it, this comic is my first time encountering anything from the McElroy family. To give credit where it’s due, they certainly know how to start an issue – the in media res introduction kicks things off with a literal bang.
They’ve also assembled a fine cast of characters. In addition to Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Balder, and Wonder Man, the “Journey into Mystery” team also includes Death Locket, Doctor Druid, and Thori. Any comic with Thori is immediately improved by his presence.
These are not necessarily characters who would team up without outside forces bringing them together, so it provides some new character chemistry. The issue mostly involves Balder gathering the team, but we get some good moments like Miles Morales appreciating the good dog that is Thori and Kate Bishop finding a good loophole for Wonder Man’s newfound pacifism.
It’s clear that the comic aims to make an impact on Marvel history as quickly as possible, with the introduction of a new sibling in the Thor family – the baby Laussa Odinsdotir, who will be serving as the MacGuffin and being who must be protected for the story. Since no Marvel writer would dare kill a baby (unless you count changing history to prevent her from ever being conceived), Laussa is likely to stay.
The dialogue does a good job balancing the serious nature of the “War of the Realms” and amusing bits of humor. One recurring gag that works quite well is how much things have changed for Balder since he came back from Hel – there are multiple heroes with the Spider-Man and Hawkeye names, LMDs are a thing, and Wonder Man is a pacifist. Not to mention the many different kinds of Spider-Men Miles casually brings up, including fan favorites Spider-Ham and Spiders-Man.
We also get amusing moments like Kate defeating villainous mercenary Slaughter-Man just to deliver him divorce papers from his wife (“irreconcilable differences,” apparently) and Wonder Man trying to figure out how to set up a baby car seat in the middle of a car chase. Throughout this, the stakes of the War of the Realms are still made clear.
While they have a solid sense of the voices for most of the characters, it’s not always consistent. Kate Bishop probably gets the best dialogue by far, with a witty quip attached to practically every line. Most of the cast, like Balder and Miles, maintain a strong sense of personality in their voices. Unfortunately, they don’t quite get Thori; while he is given some good dialogue, it doesn’t always match his voice quite right. It’s close, but a little too long-winded for the murder dog at times. Still, that’s a small complaint to make. The voices are also made stronger by the lettering work from Clayton Cowles, who utilizes a good range of fonts based on the characters and where they’re from.
I could also question why Sindr and Freyja are both familiar with the musical “Oklahoma.” But again, that’s a small thing, and I appreciate the musical reference.
While the writers are new to comics, the artistic team most certainly is not. André Lima Araújo brings his experience into the comic, and he’s a great choice for the illustrator. We get some great visual moments, like the team driving to the Asgardian castle in Broxton while being pursued by fiery monsters, or the intimidating force that makes itself known on the last page. There’s a certain softness to the designs – more round corners than sharpened edges – which seems to suit the tone well.
Continued belowAndré does a fine job with each character design. Along with the usual assortment of heroes, we get some good crowd scenes with plenty of background details and designs, like Spider-Man saving street performers dressed as Marvel heroes in Times Square, or Death Locket’s LMD-filled party scene. There’s a lot of energy in everything, which helps propel the comic forward.
The color work from Chris O’Halloran helps bring these images to life. His use of warmer colors works nicely with André’s designs, so it meshes well. Occasionally we get some brighter moments, like Doctor Druid’s wand misfiring in a grocery store or the flames of war approaching the party, and Chris’s coloring really makes them pop.
Overall, “War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery” is a good debut for the McElroys, backed up by a solid and experienced artistic team. It brings together a good mix of fan favorite and under-utilized characters, with a plot that will ensue plenty of hijinks. It’s a good side-story to follow throughout the event.
Final Verdict: 7.1 – A fun team-up and adventure within the War of the Realms. The McElroys are off to a good start, with a strong art team bringing their story to life.
