Agents of Atlas #1 (of 6)

Writer: Jeff Parker
Penciler: Leonard Kirk
Inker: Kris Justice
Colorist: Michelle Madsen


In 1958, Special Agent Jimmy Woo helped form one of
the Marvel Universe’s first superhero teams in order
to rescue President Eisenhower from the clutches of
the evil madman, The Yellow Claw. The group worked
together for six months after that but were shut down
when the government decided that the world just wasn’t
ready for a such a bizarre collection of heroes. Now,
in the present day, the members of that forgotten team
are being brought together once more against a
mysterious threat.

In 1978 Marvel published What If? #9, which asked the question “What if the Avengers had Fought Evil During the 50’s?” The book brought together several of Marvel’s Golden Age characters as a “Secret Avengers” team. No one was ever really sure if the story actually happened in Marvel continuity or not. The only other time the team appeared was in issue four of Kurt Busiek’s epic Avengers Forever. Now the “50’s Avengers” return not only in their very own series but one that is set firmly in the present day Marvel Universe.

This book is one of my favorite comics by Jeff Parker since The Interman, the graphic novel that first garnered him so much attention within the industry. Many of the things that were present in that book exist in the pages of Agents. The same kind of action, the suspense, the sense of fun and adventure and the history of the characters all of which made this book such an entertaining read. You really get the sense that Parker enjoys writing these characters and is having a blast with this story.

I was also impressed with the seamless way in which Parker was able to weave the story of the “50’s Avengers” into current Marvel continuity. There’s nothing about it seems forced and everything you need to know is presented right there in the first several pages of the book. These days almost every superhero comic seems to be steeped in so much history that it can be challenging for the most veteran readers. One of the best things about Agents is that you don’t need to know anything about this “50’s Avengers” team (or much about Marvel comics in general) to understand the book or follow the story.

Artist Leonard Kirk is certainly putting his best foot forward on this one. I definitely think this is his best work for Marvel. Like Parker he really seems to have an affinity for this book and its characters. In fact he seems so comfortable drawing some of these characters you’d think he’d been drawing this book for ages. The pages are, for the most part, full of an infectious energy and excitement. And Kirk really cranks the sci-fi/adventure elements to eleven. There’s a scene with a UFO near the end of this issue… I won’t say any more about it than that, but when I saw that page I was grinning from ear to ear. What more could one ask from a comic? I highly recommend this one.
 

Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.

 

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