1985 #6 - Review

The Good…

• Cover and interior art by Edwards is smashing
• Realistic dialogue, what’s said is what I would say

The Bad…

• Book wraps up with a mild “twist”

Full Review

To say that “1985″ was one of my favorite series of the year so far would only be half-right, and I’ll tell you why. First of all, Edwards’ art style was a little difficult to get past in the first couple issues, but I completely embraced it by #4, and #5 and #6 just steamrolled me with enjoyment. Now, I’m no art student, but it appears that he somehow blends watercolor paints (check the facial features) with frequent “striping” (a term I just coined, but you can see it on the faces and costumes of the heroes, especially Galactus). The “striping” gives Millar’s characters dark shadows, yet promote this sense of energy and classic exhilaration found in comics produced long ago. As you can tell, it’s difficult to describe, so I’ll post a picture to help. Check the explosion-quality, especially near Mr.Fantastic to understand what I mean. This art really feels like a classic piece, you just don’t see art like this in todays comics. The men aren’t overly muscular, and the women don’t have giant chests. It really feels antiquey.

In addition to Edwards’ art style, Millar is keen on providing the reader with a sense of realism in his characters’ dialogue. I honestly felt that I would’ve said darn near exactly what Toby said, especially when he steals Cap’s line. However, the weak “twist” that was put in to explain why this event happened isn’t particularly satisfying. I’d hardly call it a “twist” anyway, because as a reader I knew from day one something like this was going to happen, so it wasn’t a surprise. I’m sure the way it turned out was Millar’s intent, but it really felt to me like that wheelchaired-kid from X2. Wait a minute, he’s almost the same guy here! Regardless, Millar’s choice does allow for some connectivity between the real world and the world of the heroes, so I suppose he gets points there.

This series ends well with this book, as there are no plot lines left unattended, and the reader finishes with a sense of closure. I suppose you could say this issue is like the issues of yore–possibly from 1985–as they begin with a diabolical plot, and fully end, allowing the writers to move on to their next project without leaving plot lines hanging. Overall, a solid series with an ok ending.

1985 #6

8.6 out of 10 stars

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