Picture, if you will, two Marvel Universes: One populated by bright, colorful superheroes with an unerring code of justice based on a responsibility to keep the world they live in safe from evil. The other universe is pale and haunting, and exists alongside, yet somehow almost outside the first one. It is a landscape possessed by things that go bump in the night, and sometimes spill over into the daylight, and few creators and characters epitomize this Marvel like Steve Gerber and his work on Man-thing.
And now, after nearly two decades in the making, Marvel is releasing Gerber’s final Man-thing story with “Infernal Man-thing”, out this week.
Written by Steve Gerber
Illustrated by Kevin NowlanSTEVE GERBER’S FINAL MAN-THING STORY! What is the mystery behind the “Screenplay of the Living Dead Man”? The story no one thought existed! NO ADS! BONUS CONTENT!
Let’s get this out of the way, right up front: Man-thing is not the Swamp Thing. Sure, comics’ two most notable _____-things share some similarities — they’re both scientists who get changed into swamp monsters — but at the end of the day, they’re more different than they are alike. I won’t spend too much time on contrasting the two, but for clarification sake, Swamp Thing is active and participates in his own adventures. He wakes up in the morning, he picks fights and saves lives, and specifically, he communicates with others. Underneath all the twisted roots, and slime and muck, there’s still a man, and for the most part, that man is the star of his own story. No matter how strange or horrifying his stories get, it’s his humanity that centers him and keeps us interested.
Man-thing, on the other hand, is an accessory. Man-thing is a wanderer; a nearly mindless beast drawn to the emotions of those around him, and ultimately, the catalyst that brings their story to a head. At his simplest, he’s a sludge-covered deus ex machina. At his most complex, he’s the guardian of all reality. And taking a simple concept like “man turns into a monster” and turning it into “monster is the most important thing in existence” seems pretty far out, but it’s exactly what Steve Gerber did with Man-thing. It’s one of the coolest ideas in the history of Marvel, and why the Man-thing, no matter where he pops up, is always worth a look.
However, “Infernal Man-thing” trades a little too heavily on the premise, and while I enjoyed this issue, I can’t imagine it being too interesting for anyone unfamiliar with Man-thing, and more importantly, Steve Gerber’s career.
Infernal reintroduces us to writer Brian Lazarus, a character who first appeared some 30 years past in “Man-thing” #12, in a story entitled ‘Song Cry of the Living Dead Man’. This story revisits the title, updating it to ‘Screenplay of the Living Dead Man’, and unlike a typical in-continuity Marvel story, the same amount of time has passed for Lazarus. He’s 30 years older and 30 years crazier. Obsessed with finishing the story he first started all those years ago, he’s returned to where it all began, and unknowingly begins to torture the supernaturally empathic Man-thing.
Gerber’s ups and downs as a writer are well documented, and knowing that, Infernal becomes a very personal and tragic piece of writing, made even more so by Gerber’s absence from the field he contributed so much to. But personal works aren’t always the most entertaining and no shock, Infernal falls into that category. It’s not a bad comic, but Lazarus’ life mirrors Steve Gerber’s so much, and there’s no real effort made to hide it, that it feels like you’re intruding on the man’s thoughts, and when you realize you’re reading this posthumously, well, that in and of itself is kind of eerie. It’s so honest that it’s distracting, and while it’s extremely effective , it ain’t for everybody.
What WILL appeal to the masses is Kevin Nowlan. You’d be hard pressed to find a more beautifully rendered comic on the stands this week. Nowlan’s a pro at inks, of course, and he’s drawn plenty too, but seeing his painted work is a pretty spectacular display of skill and talent. His Man-thing is oddly misshapen, and creepy, but at the same time kind of, um, goofy? And not in a bad way, but in a sad way. Nowlan’s reworked him a little, and come up with a take that’s unique and far less grotesque or monstrous than the traditional Man-thing, and no surprise, it really works for this story.
Continued below“Infernal Man-thing” #1 is inventive, and weird, and gorgeous, and sort of shockingly heartfelt. As a fan of Gerber and his work on Man-thing, it’s going to be hard not to like this comic a whole lot. In some ways, it’s setting itself up to be the most Man-thing story of all time, and considering it’s Gerber’s final take, that’s pretty appropriate. Just be aware, this is no one off, romp in the swamp comic. This is the real deal, and with two issues left to go, I can’t imagine it getting any less Gerber.
Final Verdict: 7.75 – Worthwhile, but maybe not for everybody
