“What is old is new again” is the motto of Dynamite Entertainment. Once again they reboot several Gold Key characters into their new imprint, “The Sovereigns,” where their talents plays with the familiar, while adding some twists.
The beginning of an epic tale that will change everything you know about some of comicdom’s greatest and longest-tenured heroes! Solar, Magnus, Dr. Spektor & Turok! Apart, they’ve saved countless lives a hundred times over. Together, they form a team that has protected the world in the past, present and future. Now, they will be reunited one last time to face a threat that will forever change their legacy and bring them face to face with their final destiny!Cover by Stephen Segovia
Best known for publishing public domain pulp era characters as well as doing other licensed work, reestablishing several Gold Key characters (Magnus, Turok, Solar, and Doctor Spektor) is right up Dynamite’s alley. It is in fact Dynamite’s second turn of the key, having previously licensed these characters for a series of titles in 2013. Instead, these characters are silo’d away into their own mini-imprint known as “Sovereigns,” much like DC has down with Young Animal and the new Wild Storm. The imprint will consist of the eponymous book and several individual titles.
This zero issue acts as an anthology book featuring most characters and future creative teams, with requisite marketing pitch to continue the adventure in forthcoming titles. “2000 A.D.” this is not, but, it shows a surprising amount of confidence to throw everything at the wall like this.
With the overall capes side of the industry in the midst of another generational shift -– both in universe and in terms of readership –- it will be interesting to see how these titles shake out and what they are allowed to get away with. Some of these strips feel very different compared to previous works. While this is a license job, I wouldn’t say any of these characters have the same kind of cultural cache and reverence as The Shadow or Doc Savage. As a largely new reader I have no attachment to them, and their best-known days are linked to a now rebooted publisher that originally dropped them after using their IP to establish a publishing beach head. It will be interesting to see if and how they thread the needle between old and new readers.
This band of saviors feel forgotten, myths lost to the collective unconscious. That potential for forgotten, hidden, heroism appears to be informing Ray Fawkes in the main title “Sovereigns.”
Sovereigns
Written by Ray Fawkes
Illustrated by Johnny Desjardins
Colored by Mohan
Formally, one of the most interesting things about “Sovereigns” is what kind of “old school” story telling techniques they go for. Fawkes narrates most the strips through the eternally unseen omniscient narrator. This is a storytelling choice that currently feels old and unfashionable.
This along with Johnny Desjardins’s art developed a real sense of isolation and loneliness in the post-apocalyptic 2520, where the not so mighty Samson wanders. Desjardins’s wind swept hills and Mohan’s rich color pallet stand out on the thick seemingly ever growing black inks. The use of heavy inks when the strip flashes back to the start of this Great Darkness create a feeling of inevitability and age on the mighty King Turok.
Fawkes doesn’t try to explain anything in concrete terms in these 16 pages. This strip is more of a vaguely wrapped mood piece. This is a zero issue after all. However, like the rest of these strips, it establishes a tonality that engaged me.
Magnus
Written by Kyle Higgins
Illustrated by Jorge Fornes
Colored by Chris O’Halloran
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Of all the titles associated with this publishing line, the ‘Magnus’ strip by Kyle Higgins and Jorge Fornes features the most obvious changes and implications for the main ”Sovereigns” storyline. The titular Magnus of this strip is not a man but a woman. And she isn’t really running around punching out rogue robots in a battle skirt. This Magnus is more akin to Rick Deckard from Blade Runner, hunting down rogue A.I. and returning them to the corporeal world. For such a brief strip, the creative team build off references to at least four separate sci-fi staples across nearly 40 years.
Continued belowThere is a surprising amount of effective action stuffed into this four-page strip. Fornes rhythmically switches perspective in and out of this schizophrenic design space to develop a sense of motion across panels as Magnus chases after Cliff. Dense like the virtual environment they find themselves in, Fornes’s use of heavy yet expressive lines and O’Halloran’s sickly neon pallet evoke the environments seen in The Congress and classic sci-fi pop art. Fornes nails the frightened and resigned emotion in this blue A.I.’s face
Higgins dialog dose the most of heavy lifting in implicating this dystopian future of sentience and automated labor gone wrong. The final two pages filled with heavy, potentially, deadly references to what’s to come of Cliff for “being a bad boy,” as well as the potential culpability Magnus plays for being a part of this system. While other strips build intrigue through shock and awe, ‘Magnus’ provides the most concrete, yet vague, glimpse at the forthcoming series.
Turok
Written by Chuck Wendig
Illustrated by Alvaro Saraseca
Colored by Triona Farrell
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Nazi-Dinosuar-Men, who also ride dinosaurs! If that sentence doesn’t sell you, nothing will. ‘Turok’ is set in 2012 and acts as prequel to the 2520 post-apocalypse of ‘Sovereigns’ and the 2020 King Turok era also seen in that strip. In these four pages, Chuck Wendig and Alvaro Sarraseca establish the world and its desires.
Alvaro’s page construction is tight, giving everything a thrilling voyeuristic element. Slowly, he pulls the reader in closer as Turok stalks and hunts them. The violent eruption on the page, while wet, isn’t hyper violenct. Comic hyperviolence relies on wide image stillness for the violent ends to have impact. That’s precious inches they don’t have, everything is in mid motion, their attacker fragmented and monstrous.
Strips like ‘Magnus’ and ‘Spektor’ twist tropes toward a slightly grungy but still bubble gum pop, post-modern, aesthetic. There is nothing bubble gum about these four pages. If it were not for such an outlandish introduction, this strip would prime “grim ‘n gritty” territory. This audacious start points it more towards a satirical grimdark aesthetic. With Nazi-Dinosaur Men, how can it not be? Wendig writes them all but hissing like snakes as they drag a beleaguered dinoman to his death in the Tar. Alvaro and colorist Triona Farrell dress them grey military uniforms with black armbands, emblazoned with their red logo, with Mauser’s on their hip. Of the strips in this book ‘Turok’ is the pulpiest of the bunch.
Doc Spektor
Written by Aubrey Sitterson
Illustrated by Dylan Burnett
Colred by Triona Farrell
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Of all the outrageous strips in this issue, ‘Doc Spektor’ felt the most human. Which, is surprising for a strip that features quasi-silent first page. Previous strips gesture towards a world, the dystopian tech future of ‘Magnus’ or the prehistoric yet modern Hidden Valley of ‘Turok.’ Writer Aubrey Sitterson focuses his four pages squarely on what the not so good Doctor needs: money, fast.
In the quasi-interview in the back of this issue, Sitterson spoke on his intention to do the occult/mystic detective hero, but younger. Characters like Doctor Strange always end up being eternally middle aged. His Spektor is a late twenties vagrant metal head, whatever temperance experience will give him hasn’t happened yet. This strip gave me the best sense of character.
Dylan Burnett and colorist Triona Farrell do a respectable job quickly establishing a contemporary, but grunge tinged, aesthetic. Burnett’s expressive line work is modern gives everything a slightly cartooned proportion. Triona Farrell’s color pallet of solid muted tones evokes the feelings of a foggy Seattle day. This darkness makes for excellent contrast when magic inevitably comes into play, the muted tones swapped for a spray painterly texture and neon pallet.
“Sovereigns” comes out with a strong foot forward. It met its goals of trying to entice a reader to stick around and give this slightly obscure cast of characters a try. If that mind share holds is another matter.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – In a glutted market dominated by trading on established IP, “Sovereigns” does enough to be familiar and novel with a cult cast.
